The Heart of Autumn
by MissMy80sShows
Summary: Between Halloween and Thanksgiving Day lay the heart of Autumn. Will Lee and Amanda be left scared or will they find something to be thankful for? COMPLETE 5/2/19
1. Chapter 1

**The Heart of Autumn**

**Chapter 1**

Lee stared at the ten large bags of candy on the counter and shook his head, "Dotty, you really think we need all that?"

Dotty continued to put the rest of the groceries away and commented, "Well, you never know. We went through more than this back on Maplewood so who knows. I had a chance to talk to Mrs. Andrews, the nice young woman two doors down, and she said they get quite a few kids on Halloween, so I'm not sure what that means or if this will be enough but it will have to be. Unless you think I should get more?"

Lee, feeling slightly overwhelmed, replied, "Don't ask me, I have no idea. I don't even know how this works."

Dotty stopped short, closed the refrigerator door with a slight thud and asked, "You don't know how Halloween works?"

Lee shrugged his shoulders and said, "No, not really. I mean I guess I could figure it out. A kid comes to the door in a costume, you give them candy, right? How hard is that?"

"We shall see," Dotty replied cryptically as she finished placing large bags of pretzels and chips in the bottom cabinet. "I'll just hide these down here for now so the boys don't get into them before their friends arrive." She stood, rubbed her hands together as she surveyed the room.

Lee smiled and offered, "There's more coffee if you're interested. Amanda's still sleeping."

"No, I'm not," Amanda groaned as she slowly walked into the kitchen.

Lee immediately covered the space between them and put his hand on her arm to guide her. "Amanda, why are you out of bed?" Lee asked, his voice thick with worry.

Amanda sunk onto a stool and rested her head in her hands, her elbows propping everything up. "I couldn't lay there any longer. My body is starting to hurt more than my head," Amanda moaned.

Dotty immediately began filling the tea kettle with water as she said, "I'll make you some tea, Dear. That should help. The doctor said no coffee, but some nice Chamomile tea will fix you right up."

Amanda slowly shook her head and requested, "Peppermint, please. My stomach and my head are still not in agreement."

"How about some toast? Or crackers?" Lee suggested.

"No, no, no, I don't want toast or crackers or anything else. I just want my head to stop pounding and my stomach to stop flip-flopping," Amanda complained.

Dotty put her arm around her daughter and hugged her gently. "Amanda, darling, you just need to rest. How about some chicken soup? I can use the little star pasta like I used to when you were a little girl," she suggested.

"Oh, Mother, chicken soup does sound appetizing. I'm just not sure if my head and my stomach could handle it," Amanda smiled weakly.

"Nonsense! I'll add a little extra ginger to the broth like your grandmother used to do. That will cure any tummy troubles," Dotty insisted. She gave Amanda one last squeeze and began pulling ingredients out of the fridge, laying everything out on the counter. "Just give me an hour and I'll bring it to you," she exclaimed.

Lee put his arm around Amanda and gently helped her to her feet. "And while your mother is cooking, how about you rest on the couch?"

Amanda looked up at Lee, squinting to focus on his face. "Will you sit and talk with me?" she asked quietly.

Lee gently kissed her forehead and replied, "Of course. I just need to give Billy a call first. He's looking for…" Lee looked up and realized Dotty was still in the kitchen with them. "He's looking for the interview transcripts from Senator McCarthy," he finished. He winked at Amanda before they walked slowly into the living room.

Lee lowered Amanda onto the couch, arranged a pillow behind her back before she settled against it. "Did you finish your report?" Amanda whispered as Lee draped a blanket over her.

"Not yet and Billy's been breathing down my neck for it. I was hoping to run over to the office before picking up the boys this afternoon so I'll need to go out for a while," Lee explained. Amanda sighed sadly so he added, "Will you be all right without me?"

Amanda sighed again and said, "I'll be fine. Mother will make sure of it."

Lee brushed her hair off her cheek as he caressed her face lovingly. "She's just worried about you, probably more than I am," he said softly before kissing her forehead once more.

"I know. You've both been so helpful, I hate feeling like this. It's worse than after what happened in California," Amanda admitted. "I just wish I knew how much longer this is going to last."

Lee smiled at her and reminded her, "It takes time. The doctor said you have to go five full days without a headache before he'd even consider the concussion cleared. It's only been four days since it happened and you've had all the symptoms almost continuously. You have to give it more time."

Amanda rolled her eyes and groaned, "I know, I know but I can't keep laying around like this. I feel completely useless. The boys are even starting to get worried."

Lee patted her leg and said, "I'll tell you what, if it would make you feel any better, how about I bring up the laundry that needs to be folded. That way you can still lie here but feel like you're helping out."

Amanda chuckled, drawing another smile from Lee, "Well, if you need me that much, I suppose I could at least do that. After all, how much trouble could I get in folding the laundry." Lee gave her a sideways glance to which Amanda replied, "Don't answer that. But seriously, maybe just doing something will help."

"Okay then. Let me call Billy, tell him I'll be on my way into the office and then I'll bring that basket up for you," Lee stood slowly but Amanda stopped him when she reached up and grabbed his hand.

"Lee? I was thinking… Are you sure you still want to have the boys' friends over tomorrow night? I know they'll understand," Amanda asked.

Lee sat back down on the edge of the couch beside her. "Amanda, I promised them. I can't break that promise. I'll figure it out. They can all sleep down in the family room so it will be quieter upstairs for you," Lee stated.

"But the boys-" Amanda began but Lee shook his head briskly.

"No, I'm not going to do that to them. I'm an adult, I can figure out how to handle eight teenage boys for one night," Lee insisted. "Listen, you get some rest. I'll bring up that basket and by the time you're through, the soup will be done. Eat, then take a nap. When you wake up, I'll be home with the boys, okay? Please? Just trust me."

"You have a good heart, Sweetheart," Amanda replied softly as she sighed one more time. "And I do trust you."

"Good. Now I've got to get a move on before Billy sends a search party out for me," Lee stood and headed to the top of the stairs.

"Sweetheart?" Amanda called out. Lee stopped and turned to look back at her, "Don't forget to thank Francine for helping you."

Lee grinned widely as he replied, "I already did. Sent her a box of DeVaronna chocolates and a dozen roses."

Amanda's eyes got wide as she said, "You didn't." Lee nodded once, winked, and disappeared down the stairs to the laundry room. Amanda settled against the pillows once more and closed her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Amanda woke up early Saturday morning and stretched her arms above her head. She took an assessment of her body and happily realized her head wasn't pounding and her stomach was rumbling with hunger. _Maybe Mother was right… that ginger chicken soup did the trick_, she thought as she carefully rolled onto her side to watch Lee, still sleeping beside her. She sighed happily thinking of how Lee had attentively watched over her the last few days.

Amanda wasn't even angry when she discovered Jamie had stayed up late to watch the meteor shower with Lee. Instead, she had listened to him excitedly describe everything he had seen and how he spent the next afternoon researching what he could. Jamie explained how his science teacher even offered to give him extra credit if he could do a small presentation on what he had learned. So, as he laid beside her on her bed, he outlined the information he wanted to tell his classmates.

She blinked her eyes a few times, adjusting to the dim early morning light in the room. Inhaling one more time, she sat up slowly on the edge of the bed before she carefully walked across the room to the bathroom. Closing the door, she leaned against it and exhaled, her head beginning to spin once more. "Damn," she cursed quietly. She turned, looked into the mirror and cringed at what she saw. A purple and yellow bruise was still visible on her forehead, her hair hung in messy strands around her face. She splashed some water on her face in an attempt to combat the feeling of nausea once again. When the feeling passed, she looked up again and sighed.

Several minutes later she returned to their bed where Lee was reaching out for her, murmuring her name, "Amanda?"

"I'm right here, Sweetheart," she whispered as she sat down again.

"You okay?" Lee asked as he pushed himself onto his elbows, lifting his head off the pillows.

Amanda stroked his face lovingly with her hand as she replied, "Better than I have been. No headache this morning."

Lee leaned into her hand as he closed his eyes and whispered, "I'm glad. Anything else? How's your stomach?"

Amanda leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose as she said, "Hungry."

Lee yawned loudly before stating, "Then let me take care of that. How does toast sound?"

"How about toast with a poached egg?" Amanda suggested with a smile.

Lee chuckled, "Sounds like you are feeling better. You stay right here and I'll bring it up to you with some tea. I don't want to push it too much with coffee just yet."

Amanda looked at Lee. "Do you think you could…" she began to ask but her voice trailed off.

"Can I what? I'll do anything," Lee replied as he reached over and touched her hand with his.

Amanda inhaled and as she exhaled, she asked softly, "Can you help me take a shower? I'm not completely steady on my feet so I don't trust doing it alone."

"Anything you need. And after your shower, we can sit downstairs for a while. You can tell me where to put the decorations," Lee offered.

Amanda looked confused for a moment as she asked, "Decorations?"

Lee sat up and shook his head as he chuckled again, "Yeah, the boys insisted we hang Halloween decorations for their little get-together tonight. Streamers, some balloons and Jamie said there are some paper characters including a scarecrow we need to hang."

Amanda closed her eyes and smiled. The paper scarecrow had been a traditional decoration since the boys were little. "I know exactly where that box of decorations is too. I had put everything in one black plastic box in the garage. It has the letter H labeled on the side," she explained.

Lee pulled his robe on and declared, "I'll be back in a few minutes with your eggs and toast."

Amanda settled against the pillow when Lee disappeared down the stairs. She could barely hear him in the kitchen, just the quiet clink or thump as he opened cabinet doors or placed the pot on the stove. She looked over at the clock and realized how early it actually was. Neither her mother nor the boys were awake yet.

As she waited, she made a mental checklist of the things they would need to do that day to prepare for Halloween that night. The decorations needed to be hung, the snacks needed to be placed in serving trays or bowls, the candy needed to be emptied into a large bowl for the trick or treaters and last but not least, they needed to be sure everything was clean for Jamie and Philip's friends who would be arriving at five thirty. Amanda groaned at everything that needed to be done and lamented at her injury preventing her from being completely active in everything.

Lee stood in the doorway, carrying a small tray with her breakfast, tea and a cup of coffee for himself, watching Amanda's inner battle. He could see she was working herself up, the sadness evident on her face. "Hey, breakfast is ready," he called, breaking her train of thought.

"Thanks," Amanda replied sadly as Lee settled the tray over her. He lifted his coffee mug off and sat on the bed beside her.

"Amanda, don't worry about getting everything done. We'll take care of it," Lee stated softly as if he was reading her mind.

Amanda took a bite, sighed as she chewed and, after swallowing, replied, "I know, it's just this is the first year I didn't do-"

"Didn't do what? Clean the house? Your mother took care of that. Shopped for candy? She did that too even though I think she got way too much," Lee stated. "Decorated? We'll work on it together but if you need to rest, you rest."

"But the boys…" Amanda groaned.

"The boys are not babies, anymore. They know what's going on. Jamie was worked up about it so much, he researched what he could and wouldn't relax until I showed him your discharge papers from the hospital," Lee admitted. Amanda rolled her eyes and stared at the ceiling, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. "Hey, I didn't tell you that to get you upset," Lee rushed out.

Amanda shook her head and dropped her chin. "I know, I just hate feeling …helpless and the last few days that's what I've felt," she whispered.

Lee moved the tray from Amanda's lap and lifted her chin with his forefinger. "You are anything but helpless. You are the strongest woman I know but everyone needs help once in a while," he stated, his hazel eyes searching her dark brown ones. "You will get through this and before you know it, you'll be back on your feet, running circles around all of us."

Amanda reached up and cradled his face in her hands, her thumbs stroking his cheekbones. She pulled him close for a soft, gentle kiss of thanks. Lee returned her kiss but backed off after a few seconds. He mentally tamped down his libido knowing she wasn't ready to take the kiss any further. He moved the tray back onto her lap so she could finish her breakfast as he swallowed his coffee. "I'm going to get a refill. Would you like anything else?" he asked as he stood. Amanda shook her head no so he crossed the room to the doorway.

"Lee?" Amanda called softly. He turned to see her smiling back at him as she said, "Thank you, Sweetheart." Lee smiled back before jogging down the stairs to refill his coffee mug.

Lee returned several minutes later to find Amanda in her closet, looking for something to wear. "You look beautiful in all of it," Lee teased.

"I just wish I had more energy. Hopefully eating breakfast will help. My stomach definitely feels a little better with something in it," she announced as she pulled a Halloween themed sweatshirt off a hanger and took a pair of sweatpants out of her drawer along with clean underwear, a cotton camisole, and socks. "If I'm going to be sitting around again all day, I'm at least going to be comfortable," she explained. "Now, about that shower…"

"What can I do to help?" Lee asked, taking the stack of clothes from her and placing everything on the bed.

"Could you… I was thinking…" Amanda began but she was unable to come up with an idea of how Lee could help her in the shower without one thing leading to another.

Lee, sensing her conundrum, suggested, "I'll be on my best behavior. I'll just stay in the bathroom with you in case you need me."

Amanda blushed, took a step closer to him and whispered huskily, "I always need you."

Lee grinned, his dimples deep. He winked at her, kissed the tip of her nose before teasing, "We're not quite ready for that marathon, but just you wait… when you're feeling better, you're going to have to make up for lost time."

"Oh, really?" Amanda teased back.

"Uh huh," Lee grinned wider now. He placed his hand on her lower back to guide her into the bathroom. "I'm thinking maybe a weekend away, just you and me…" he let his thought trail off, allowing Amanda to use her own imagination.

"Oh, Sweetheart," Amanda gasped. She leaned against the vanity as Lee turned the water taps on and adjusted the temperature. She carefully pulled her nightgown over her head, avoiding the sensitive bruised area and slipped out of her panties. She stepped into the hot spray of the water and sighed happily as the heat and gentle pressure relaxed her tightened muscles.

Lee simply watched through the frosted glass as Amanda carefully washed and conditioned her hair. He jumped to his feet when her hand shot out to balance herself after rinsing her hair. Without thinking, he opened the door and stepped into the enclosure, still wearing his pajama pants and t-shirt. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, his tone edged with fear.

"Yeah, I just lost my balance when I closed my eyes," Amanda admitted. "I probably shouldn't have done that."

Lee let out the breath he was holding and agreed, "Probably not a good idea."

Amanda surveyed her husband, now soaking wet, standing before her and said, "Neither was jumping in here with me."

Lee looked down at his saturated clothes and laughed loudly. "For you, I'd do anything. Now let's get you washed up and downstairs."

Amanda put her arms around Lee to hug him, then pushed up onto her tiptoes and brushed her lips across his cheek. "What have I done to deserve you?"

Lee chuckled once more and replied, "I'm sure I could ask the same question, but we better get moving before your mother finds us in here together. I didn't lock the door."

As if on cue before Amanda could reply, she heard Dotty calling them from the open doorway, "Lee? Amanda? Is everything all right?"

"Everything's just fine, Mother. We'll be out in a few minutes," Amanda called back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lee stepped off the step-ladder and surveyed the living room with all the black and orange streamers taped to each corner, large crepe paper pumpkins were strewn around, fuzzy spiders, and cheesecloth ghosts hanging from the ceiling. "So, what do you think?" he asked Amanda.

Amanda looked around from the chair she was sitting in. She smiled at the scarecrow taped to the front door, the other paper decorations taped to the other doors in the room and Lee's progress with the streamers. "I think the only thing missing is a carved pumpkin for the steps outside by the front door," she decided.

"I picked up a pumpkin at the store yesterday," Dotty called from the kitchen where she was preparing finger snacks for later. "Philip and Jamie asked if they could carve it and I said yes. As a matter of fact, I think they're in the garage right now working on it."

Lee clapped his hands together and looked into the foyer, "What if we added a few more streamers out there?" Without waiting for a reply, he immediately lifted the ladder and started walking toward the stairs.

"Sweetheart, you don't need to hang any more streamers," Amanda stated. "I think it's perfect, just the way it is."

"What about on the banister, you know, coming down the stairs?" Lee pointed. "Or maybe something else over the doorway to the kitchen?"

Amanda stood slowly and crossed the room to put her arms around Lee. She looked up at him and replied, "You did a great job, let's not overdo it, huh?"

Lee draped his arms around her waist and admitted, "I just want the boys to be happy with how everything looks. I stacked a bunch of wood outside by the firepit for them for later too."

Amanda snuggled her head against his shoulder and said softly, "They're so excited about tonight, I don't think they are going to notice if there's one more streamer or not. And I highly doubt their friends are going to notice either."

"Mo-om!" Jamie yelled from the doorway to the garage. "Philip won't let me have a turn with the knife!" he exclaimed angrily.

"No I didn't! I just said I wanted to finish carving the mouth, that's all, Tattletale!" Philip yelled back. "Here, don't say I didn't share." He dropped the knife on the floor in front of Jamie's feet and stormed through the kitchen. "I'm gonna take a shower. I smell like pumpkin guts."

"Fine, I'll finish carving the pumpkin!" Jamie shouted before picking up the knife and storming back into the garage, slamming the door behind him.

Amanda closed her eyes and gave her head a slight shake, "Just when I thought my headache was gone."

Lee immediately furrowed his brow, "Your head's starting to hurt again?"

Amanda sighed softly, "A little. Maybe I just need to eat something." She released Lee and slowly walked into the kitchen, "Mother, do we have any more of that chicken soup you made yesterday?"

Dotty picked up a dish towel and wiped her hands as she stated, "I made a big pot of it. I'll heat some up right now for you. Lee, would you like anything?" Lee's head was turned, following Philip's retreating form so he didn't hear Dotty's question. When he didn't reply, she called again, "Lee?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Lee asked, his head snapping back in Dotty's direction.

"I asked if you'd like anything to eat. You've barely eaten all day," Dotty noted.

Lee looked down, slightly embarrassed. "No, I had a sandwich while you were in the shower," he said. He watched Amanda slip into one of the kitchen chairs then rest her head in her hands. "Amanda? You sure you're okay?"

Amanda smiled weakly, "Yes, I'll be fine. Just got tired all of a sudden and my stomach feels funny again."

"You need to eat some of this soup then I want you right upstairs in bed, Missy," Dotty stated firmly.

Amanda narrowed her eyes as she insisted, "Mo-ther, I'm not a child. I think I just overdid things a little too much."

"Nonsense, your mother is right. You should have a bowl of soup and after that, I'll take you upstairs and-" Lee agreed with Dotty but Amanda cut him off sharply.

"I don't need to be taken anywhere! I'm perfectly capable of deciding what I need to do without you two ordering me around!" Amanda snapped.

Lee started walking toward her but stopped short when she snapped. He put his hand on the island, ran his hand through his hair and said, "You're right. Your mother and I are just concerned, but if you say you're okay then we should believe that."

"Good, I'm glad you finally agree," Amanda stated calmly.

"Besides, I don't think you'll push yourself and miss out on all the festivities tonight with the boys," Lee edged a little closer.

Amanda stared at him, pressed her lips together and decided, "I think, maybe it might be a good idea if I eat something and take a short rest. I don't want to dump all the responsibility on you tonight, being the first time you've ever had to deal with trick or treaters. So I'm just going to eat a bowl of the chicken soup Mother made, take a short nap, then after that help the boys get their costumes ready."

"You're sure?" Lee teased.

"Yes, I'm sure," Amanda nodded softly.

"And what have the boys decided on for costumes this year, Amanda?" Dotty asked as she stirred the soup in the small pot on the stove.

Amanda sighed and smiled, "Jamie decided to dress like Marty McFly from "Back to the Future". He saved his allowance money to buy that orange puffy vest. And I think Philip chose to be a vampire from that movie "The Lost Boys". He said he didn't need to do much, just some pale makeup and vampire teeth."

"I miss the days they wanted to be one of the Sesame Street characters or one of their favorite cartoon characters. Now it's time travelers and vampires," Dotty frowned.

"I think it's sweet they each picked a character from a movie they like," Amanda said with a small smile. "They're getting older, we should encourage them, Mother." She leaned forward onto her elbows, her chin resting on her folded fingers. She tried to stifle a yawn by moving her hands to cover her mouth.

Lee put his hands on her shoulders, brushed his lips against her bruised forehead and whispered, "I'll check on Jamie." He released her and crossed the room to open the door to the garage. "Hey, you okay, buddy?" Lee asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jamie groaned. "I just wish…"

"Wish what?" Lee asked as he crouched down beside him on the garage floor. He peered at the pumpkin Jamie was turning over in his hands. "Looks good," he complimented him.

Jamie set the pumpkin down, drew his knees up to his chest and rested his arms on his knees. He dropped his chin down and just stared at the closed garage door. "Did you ever wish you could read minds just so you could avoid fighting with someone?" Jamie asked.

Lee chuckled, gave his head a small shake and stated, "More times than you could possibly imagine, especially when it comes to your mom."

Jamie turned his head to look at Lee, his eyes narrowed. "But you and Mom don't fight," he said, confused.

Lee settled himself completely on the floor, stretching his long legs out. "Not now, but when we first met we didn't exactly see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. But, over time, I've learned how to see what she sees and how sometimes, instead of shooting down her ideas, I've compromised and avoided a fight when there didn't need to be one," Lee explained.

Jamie pushed his glasses up his nose and sighed, "But what if you don't know the right thing to say to avoid it?"

Lee pursed his lips and bobbed his head gently, "I've had those moments a few times as well. And if your brother is anything like your mom, you're just going to have to give him space and things will be fine in no time."

"I know, it always blows over but what if one day it doesn't. I mean what if one day I say the wrong thing and he stays mad at me?" Jamie groaned before dropping his head down onto his arms.

Lee reached out and touched his shoulder, "Hey, if there's one thing I know about you and your brother, it's you both care a lot about each other so I'm pretty confident he won't stay mad at your forever. Besides, do you really think your mom would let that happen?"

Jamie shrugged his shoulders without lifting his head and muttered, "No, I guess not."

Lee lifted the pumpkin and bounced it in his hands to get a better look at the face the boys had carved on it. "Wow. This is really good," he commented.

Jamie lifted his head and laughed, "It's not too bad. Philip thought it would be fun to do the venus fly trap from "Little Shop of Horrors" instead of a regular Jack o' Lantern face. He found this picture in a magazine and drew it out. He got mad when I tried to tell him we should paint it green and red."

Lee noticed the magazine on the floor beside Jamie and asked, "Can I see that?" Jamie handed it to him then stretched his legs out, mimicking Lee's position. Lee studied the page and compared it to the pumpkin then suggested, "You know, what if you just got a green marker and shaded it a little."

"I think Lee's right," Philip's voice drifted from behind them. Surprised, Lee and Jamie's heads turned to see Philip standing in the doorway, still wearing the same clothes he was in a few minutes ago.

"I thought you were going to shower?" Lee asked.

Philip stepped further into the garage and raised his shoulders, "I was going to, but I didn't like how I treated Jamie so I came back to apologize. I acted like a real jerk. I don't want to fight all night with our friends coming over."

"I'm sorry I tried to-" Jamie began but stopped when Philip shook his head.

"You didn't do anything. I should have listened to you in the beginning. I'm sorry I yelled at you," Philip stated.

Lee looked from Philip to Jamie and said, "See. I told you I didn't think he'd stay mad."

The trio failed to notice Amanda, now standing in the doorway, listening. "And I think you two have a lot more to do before your friends get here, so why don't you get in the shower now so you'll be ready," she said quietly.

Philip offered Jamie his hand before helping him up, "Tell you what, I'll even let you wear my plaid shirt tonight. I think it's warmer than the one you picked out."

"Really?" Jamie asked, surprised. Side by side the boys walked to the doorway where Amanda still stood.

"Go on," she encouraged as she stepped aside to give them room to pass. She turned back to see Lee now on his feet, the pumpkin resting on the newspaper on the floor.

"Well?" he said before coming to a standstill in front of her.

Amanda reached out to grasp his hand and repeated, "Well."

"Progress?" Lee asked, his eyes wide.

"Major," Amanda replied with a smile.

Lee exhaled before he asked, "Do you think it's ever going to get easier?"

Amanda laughed and stated firmly, "Nope, never."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Mr. Stetson? Mr. Stetson?" Ryan Hilton called for Lee from inside the garage. "We spilled-"

"No, YOU spilled the bottle of ginger ale," Philip corrected his friend. "Lee, can you bring us some paper towels?"

Just as Lee took two steps into the kitchen, the doorbell chimed _ding-dong, ding-dong. _"Um… hang on... " Lee stopped dead in his tracks, torn which direction he should move to. "Amanda?" he called up the stairs. The doorbell chimed again before he heard a reply from Amanda, so he quickly grabbed the large bowl of candy and opened the front door.

"Trick or treat!" several young girls dressed as witches yelled as soon as the door opened.

"Mr. Stetson!" Ryan yelled again from the garage.

"Hi… Wow, witches, here you go," Lee stuttered out, dropping several pieces of candy in the plastic orange pumpkin baskets the girls were clutching.

"Thank you!" the girls cried before they ran giggling to the next yard. Lee shook his head and closed the door again. Before he could walk away, he heard the tell-tale chimes of the doorbell again. "Trick or treat!" Lee opened the door to find another gaggle of children at the door, dressed in a menagerie of costumes. He dropped candy in each of their candy buckets or pillowcases and again, with an excited "Thanks" the children ran off to the next yard. He peered out the door to see if any more children were on their way but seeing none, he closed the door. With long strides, he returned to the kitchen, got a roll of paper towels. He was just about to open the door to the garage when Philip opened the door first, music blaring loudly behind him.

"Hey, Lee, I don't know if you heard us, but Ryan dropped the ginger ale bottle and it spilled all over the floor." Before Philip could say anything else, the doorbell chimed out once more. Lee tossed the paper towels in his direction and said, "Don't forget to wash it down, too." He turned on his heel and headed back toward the front door.

"Lee? Do you need help?" Amanda called from the top of the stairs.

Lee looked up to see her leaning on the railing, looking very pale. "No, you go back and lay down. I got this."

"Are you sure, Sweetheart? I hate leaving this all up to you," she admitted.

The doorbell chimed once more. "Go. I'll come up in a few minutes to see if you need anything," he instructed before opening the door once more.

"Trick or treat!" chorused around him again. "Trick or treat? Is that what this is?" Lee joked as he passed out more candy. "Stay safe kids!" he called as again, the excited bunch ran to the next house. He was surprised to see a few parents on the edge of the street waving and calling out "Thank you!"

Lee waved back, closed the door once more and turned around to find Jamie standing in the kitchen doorway. "Lee? Do you think we could go out now? It's pretty dark and the guys are horsing around in the garage," he explained.

Lee looked at his watch and replied, "Sure, just make sure you're back in…what…is two hours enough time?"

Jamie nodded and reminded him, "We'll stick together, and we won't go anywhere but in the neighborhood. And we'll stay away from the park tonight."

Lee rolled his eyes skyward, hoping he would find inspiration from Amanda at the top of the stairs, but she had already gone back to their room. "Good, what else would your mother tell you?" he asked.

"She'd tell us to stay on the sidewalks and not to cross through any vacant lots," Jamie recited the instructions Amanda would tell them time and time again.

"Good advice," Lee nodded.

"But Lee, there are no sidewalks in this neighborhood and the only vacant lot is down by the park," Jamie explained, exasperated.

Lee closed his eyes and, with a brisk shake of his head, said, "Well, just be careful."

"We will! When Grandma gets back with the pizza, tell her to keep it warm for us," Jamie shouted as he ran toward the garage. "Ok everyone, we can go!" He slammed the door closed, muffling the sound of the music once more.

Lee heard the music abruptly stop and then the garage door rumbled open amidst the hoots and howls of the boys and their six friends. Lee took two steps up the stairs to go check on Amanda when the doorbell rang again. He pulled the door open and began to laugh when he found Philip, Jamie and their friends standing on the steps shouting, "Trick or Treat!" He tossed a handful of candy into each sack before pointing toward the street. "Now go!" he instructed with a laugh. He scanned the street once more and decided he had enough time to check on Amanda before the next group of kids arrived.

Taking the stairs two by two, he reached the top of the steps in record time. He was surprised to find the bed empty, so he called out, "Amanda?" It only took a few seconds for him to hear her gagging in the bathroom. He pushed the door open slowly and asked, "Hey, you okay?"

Amanda was just wiping her mouth with a washcloth when he caught sight of her. "Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with me. I had no problem with that soup earlier today, but that pasta you made just isn't sitting right in my stomach," she admitted. She rinsed her mouth before grabbing her toothbrush.

As Amanda brushed her teeth, Lee leaned against the vanity, "I think we should go see the doctor first thing Monday morning. Something's not right."

"Lee, Dr. Sierra in the emergency room said this is one of the symptoms, didn't he?" Amanda asked. She finished brushing her teeth and walked slowly back to their room.

Lee automatically began helping her arrange the pillows behind her back and even brushed her hair off her face. He groaned audibly when the doorbell chimed again. "Don't go anywhere. We're not finished with this conversation just yet," he commanded softly. He bounded down the stairs before the door chimed again and Lee pulled the heavy wooden door open, expecting to see more kids waiting for him. Instead, he found Dotty, trying to balance several large pizzas, her purse, and a large brown, grease-spotted bag she was holding with her teeth. "Hey, sorry. Let me help you with that," Lee apologized as he took the pizzas from her.

"I can't believe I let the boys convince me to go get pizza from Mick's all the way across town. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy! They won't deliver to this neighborhood and have stopped all deliveries everywhere tonight because of all the kids on the streets," Dotty ranted. "And can you believe I still had to wait almost forty-five minutes even though we ordered it two hours ago?! And do you know why I had to wait? Because the pizza shop ran out of pepperoni. I ask you, what pizza shop runs out of pepperoni on a night like this?"

Lee struggled to keep a straight face as he pushed the door closed behind them with his foot and followed Dotty into the kitchen. "The boys just left, so they asked if you could keep the pizza warm for them," he explained.

"Keep the pizza warm? That I can do! But what about these cheesy breadsticks? They're not going to last much longer," Dotty lamented at the brown bag she dropped on the counter. She turned the oven onto warm and slipped the pizza boxes inside while she debated what to do with the breadsticks. "Oh, I know. I'll wrap them in foil, that should keep them from getting dried up."

Lee chuckled as he said, "I'll leave that up to you. I want to go back up and check on Amanda again."

Dotty stopped moving and concentrated on him, "She didn't get sick again, did she? I'm getting very worried about her, Lee."

Lee stepped around the kitchen island to give Dotty a comforting hug, "So am I, but the doctor did say this was one of the side effects of the concussion so I'm not sure what to do."

"But Lee, she's so thin, she's barely eaten a thing all week. I just don't know how much more her body can take," Dotty moaned.

"I know, I know. I told her I wanted to take her back to the doctor first thing Monday morning, but she told me she was fine," Lee explained. He held Dotty close for a few long seconds when it dawned on him, "Wait, Dotty, the chicken soup you made. That's the only thing she's been able to keep down."

"My mother's ginger chicken soup?" Dotty asked confused.

Lee stepped back and pulled the remaining soup out of the refrigerator. Without explanation, he pulled a small pot out of the cabinet and dumped the soup into it. "If this is the only thing she can keep down, this is what she's going to eat. And tomorrow morning, I'll make her a poached egg on toast again. That seemed to be ok, this morning."

"Tell you what, I'll get more ingredients and make her more soup tomorrow. Maybe turkey this time, you know, change it up a bit," Dotty replied, her voice lighter than it had been just a few minutes before.

Lee smiled at Dotty, feeling suddenly at ease. "I'm going to go up and check on her. Would you mind getting the door -" Lee began but was interrupted by the doorbell once more.

"Saved by the bell!" Dotty joked. "I'll get the door, you check on Amanda." Lee didn't need to be told twice as he crossed the room with several long strides. "Oh, and Lee? Don't be too long. The boys are going to want that fire started pretty soon, too."

Lee stopped halfway up the stairs and smiled at Dotty, "Thanks."

"Thanks? I didn't do anything," Dotty exclaimed as she tossed her hands in the air. The doorbell chimed once more, and she was momentarily distracted by the children clamoring for the bowl of candy beside her. "Trick or treat! Oh, look at all you little monsters! How adorable!"

Lee continued up the stairs, Dotty's voice fading as he walked into the bedroom and closed the door gently. Amanda was resting against the pillows, her hand draped across her lap. Lee carefully sat on the bed beside her, kissed her forehead softly and promised her, "I'll take care of you, Manda. No matter what."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"There you go, fellas. Just don't get too close while you're roasting those marshmallows, okay?" Lee stepped away from the firepit. "I'm going to head back in the house. Come get me when you're ready to head back inside and I'll take care of the fire."

"Thanks, Lee," Jamie and Philip replied together.

Jimmy, one of Philip's friends added, "Yeah, thanks, Mr. Stetson."

"Remember, no horsing around by the fire," Lee held up his index finger and warned them once more before heading back toward the house.

"Your stepdad's a hard-ass, huh?" Reggie whispered loudly when Lee finally walked into the house.

Philip rolled his eyes at his friend, "Shut up, Armstrong. Lee's all right!"

"Yeah, but he's treating us like babies. Like we don't know to stay away from the fire," Reggie groaned as he tossed a small stick into the small roaring inferno.

"Yeah, but your mom…now she's hot," Jimmy joked as he elbowed another friend, Tony in the ribs.

Philip pushed Jimmy off the edge of the firepit onto the ground, "Shut your mouth! I warned you about that before."

"Yeah and your step-dad carries a gun too, right?" Jimmy jumped to his feet and brushed the dirt off his pants as he challenged Philip.

"He does," Jamie said quietly. He had been sitting off to one side with his friends, Ryan, Eddie, and Wally. Each of the younger boys was either still spinning a marshmallow on a stick or already eating their chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker dessert.

Jimmy sat back on the edge of the firepit once again and said, "And how would you know? What, did he show you?"

Jamie stood up and walked closer to Jimmy, "Not me. He showed Philip one night and Philip told me about it. He told me how Lee has several guns and even our mom uses a gun sometimes."

Jimmy rolled his eyes and looked out into the darkness, "Why would your mom need to carry a gun? I mean, doesn't she work for some film company?"

"Yeah, but sometimes they work with some pretty scary people," Philip answered defensively.

"What, like Russian spies?" Jimmy teased, shaking his now flaming marshmallow at Philip.

Jamie grabbed the stick and threw it into the fire, "Maybe. She doesn't talk about her job very much. You know, Jimmy, I don't even know why Philip invited you to hang out with us."

Jimmy stood and put his arm around Philip's shoulder and said, "Because we've been friends longer than either one of us can remember, Dumbo. And he knew it wouldn't be a real party without me here."

Philip shrugged Jimmy's arm off his shoulder and walked to stand between Reggie and Tony without saying a word. Jimmy looked at the house then back to the small group of boys, gathered around the fire. "So, Philip, did you figure out where they stashed the good stuff yet?"

Philip scrunched up his face, looked at his friend and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Jimmy lifted his foot and leaned onto the stone walls of the firepit. "You know, the vodka, whiskey…. What's that other stuff the old people like him drink…sherry? No, it's um...not gin… the other one there... " Jimmy tried snapping his fingers to remind himself of the word he was looking for. "Brandy! That's it."

"What do you want that for?" Philip shook his head in disgust.

"You know, get a little buzz on after the old folks go to bed," Jimmy whispered loudly.

"That's it, I'm gonna tell Lee. You can call your parents and tell them to pick you up," Jamie started walking toward the house, but Jimmy grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"I was only kidding, you jerk," Jimmy groaned.

Jamie stepped away from Jimmy, closer to his friends and said, "Hey Wally, let's head inside. Maybe we can play a game of Monopoly or something and leave these guys out here."

"That sounds better than hanging around with these losers," Eddie piped up. "Come on, Ryan, you can even be the car."

The four younger boys headed into the house leaving the older boys by the fire. They sat on the edge of the firepit in silence for almost ten minutes before Philip admitted, "You know what, this is dumb. How about we go inside and teach them how to really play?"

Jimmy, Reggie, and Tony laughed loudly in agreement. Philip grabbed a larger stick and moved the burning logs around to separate them before he followed his friends into the house. While most of the boys headed into the family room in the basement, Philip found Lee, sitting in the kitchen with Dotty. "Lee, we're going to play some board games downstairs," he said, gesturing toward the stairs. From the family room below, they could hear laughing from the boys already teasing each other.

Lee studied Philip's face and asked, "Hey, Philip, is everything okay? You look like you want to say something."

Philip looked down the stairs, pressed his lips together then back at Lee. "I, um, just wanted to let you know we won't be going back outside again, and the fire is still going."

Lee stood and headed to the back door, "Thanks. I'll take care of it." He headed outside and grabbed a shovel and one of the extra bags of sand. He carefully sifted the sand onto the fire, moved the embers around a few times to ensure they were safely covered before he headed back inside. Dotty was still sitting at the table, sipping her tea. "Dotty, do you think the boys will be okay tonight? You don't think I need to stay down here and sleep on the couch or anything do you?"

Dotty laughed loudly as she answered him. "You really don't understand teenage boys do you, Lee? Those boys will probably stay awake half the night playing games, so I think it's safe to say you don't have to sit up with them. You'll hear them, I'm sure."

Lee ran his hand through his hair nervously as he pressed his lips together. "I'm going to just check on them now, set the ground rules for the rest of the night. Amanda needs all the rest she can get, and I don't want the boys waking her up." Without waiting for her reply, Lee descended the stairs.

He found the boys sitting around the coffee table in the family room, laughing loudly as Tony just rolled doubles for the third time. "Fellas?" Lee tried to get their attention over their cheers and jeers. "Hey, fellas?" he tried again. The boys simply cheered louder as Jimmy also drew a "Go To Jail" card. Lee finally put his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly, causing the boys to jump in surprise.

"Lee!" Philip breathed, resting his hand over his heaving chest. "You scared the life out of me."

"Kind of fitting for Halloween night, though, right?" Lee teased. Seeing the boys roll their eyes and shake their head, Lee cleared his throat and tried to compose himself. "I want you boys to keep the noise level down. Mrs. Stetson is resting because she is recovering from a concussion and she needs all the rest she can get. When your game is over, why don't you watch a movie or something quieter? I'll bring the chips down and you guys can snack on that," Lee instructed.

"Um, Mr. Stetson, sir?" Wally asked nervously.

Lee looked at the boy, trying to remember his name, "Wally, right?"

"Yes, sir. Can I ask you a question?" Wally looked at Lee, his eye wide.

"Sure, Wally, go ahead," Lee replied as he folded his arms across his chest.

Wally squirmed uncomfortably for a moment then asked, "Um, is it true you have a gun?"

Lee froze, unsure of how to answer the question. He exhaled loudly before stating, "Yes, Wally, I have several guns that I use for work."

"But you wouldn't use them at home, would you?" the nervous teen asked.

Lee smiled then replied, "No, Wally, I wouldn't use them at home unless I really truly needed to. Now, don't you worry about that. They are locked up and I'm the only one who has access to them."

Jimmy smirked before asking, "So you're saying if someone were to… oh… I don't know… break in, in the middle of the night, you wouldn't use your gun to defend your home?"

"No, I didn't say that, Jimmy. I just said I wouldn't use them unless I absolutely had to. We have a security system for the house so don't you boys worry about anyone breaking in. I'll be sure to set the alarm before I head upstairs," Lee explained.

"Hey, Lee, could we watch one of your movies tonight? Please?" Jamie asked, trying to change the subject.

Lee opened the video cabinet to display all the movies stored inside. "Just don't tell your mother I let you pick, eh."

Philip slid across the floor on his knees to skim the titles, pulling out several video tapes. "Thanks, Lee! I promise I won't say a word!"

Lee scanned the room once more before he backed out saying, "I'll get those chips and remember, keep the noise level down."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Amanda woke slowly as Lee shifted position in his sleep, protectively curling his arm around her waist. She blinked slowly in the dim light, the only light in the room was a thin line from the bathroom door, open just a crack. She looked at the display on the alarm clock and it read 2:47. From somewhere in the house she heard what sounded like a glass clinking against another. Thinking it was just one of the boys getting a drink of water, she waited to hear the faucet running. Instead of water, she heard a thud then more glass tinkling.

"Lee," she whispered loudly. He only exhaled in response, still deeply asleep. She shoved at his shoulder to rouse him as she whispered again, "Lee, I think someone is downstairs."

"Yeah, the boys and their friends are downstairs," Lee muttered sleepily. He tried to pull her closer as he grumbled, "Go back to sleep."

Amanda shook his shoulders gruffly as she insisted, "Something's not right. I can hear it."

Lee opened his eyes and exhaled sharply as he replied, "Fine, what can you hear?"

Amanda listened again, concentrating on the soft sounds coming from the first floor. "I'm not sure, but it sounds like someone is going through the cabinets," she stated.

Lee rubbed his head several times while he listened. He stopped when he heard the distinctive thud of a drawer being opened then closed somewhere in the living room. "And that was definitely not one of the cabinets in the kitchen," he agreed. He pushed himself upright and reached for his robe as Amanda began to climb out of bed. "No, you stay here," he commanded gently. He reached into the bottom drawer of the nightstand to get his gun.

"Lee! You can't bring that downstairs!" Amanda hissed. She stared at him, her eyebrows high and her eyes wide and sparkling, even in the dim light.

"Well, what do you want me to bring? I mean, what if it really is a burglar and not one of the boys?" Lee whispered loudly back to her.

Amanda looked toward their bedroom door then remembered, "Jamie has a baseball bat in his closet. Get that."

"Get that? How do you expect me to get that?" Lee asked as he crossed the room and opened their bedroom door wide enough to listen for more sounds from below.

Amanda slipped her robe on, crossed the room to stand behind Lee. "Just, sneak down the stairs and around the corner. I'll keep an eye out downstairs," she explained.

Lee shook his head, "No, I want you to stay here. I don't want you getting hurt again if-"

"If what? Lee, this is our home. Nothing's going to happen to me. I'm not going downstairs, I'm just going to watch over the rail and if I see something, I'll yell. That's it," Amanda insisted.

"Fine," Lee conceded as he pointed his index finger at her, "But you're staying up here." He opened the door wider and slowly began to descend the steps, Amanda only a step behind him. Halfway down the stairs, he stopped when he heard another small thump. Amanda, watching the dark space below, bumped into him. Lee's head snapped around, and he glared at her. "I thought I told you to stay upstairs?" he whispered sharply.

Before Amanda could reply, they heard an even louder thump and more glass tinkling from below. Lee looked at Amanda again, pursed his lips and moved down to the bottom of the stairs. Amanda stayed where she was, just watching Lee silently move down the hall and disappear into Jamie's room. He emerged less than a minute later, carrying a wooden baseball bat in his hands. He returned to the stairway, pressed his finger to his lips to remind Amanda to remain silent. She nodded in response and watched as Lee descended the remaining steps. He crossed the tiled floor of the entryway, his bare feet softly slapping on the floor. Amanda cringed at the slight sound knowing if she could hear it from her vantage point, whoever was in the house might be able to hear it too.

Lee cringed slightly at the soft sounds he made crossing the room. He pressed himself against the wall, the bat resting against his shoulder. Slowly, he peered around the corner of the doorway, trying to get a glimpse into the living room. He looked at Amanda and shook his head, indicating he couldn't see anyone. He held his hand up, reminding Amanda to stay where she was. She sat down on the top step and leaned against the rails, trying to get a better angle as well. Lee leaned further into the doorway, then quickly moved across the open space to the other side. He looked at Amanda and gave her thumbs up, indicating he was fine. Amanda exhaled softly, relaxing just a bit until they heard the telltale sounds of someone looking in another cabinet in the living room.

The waxing moon outside illuminated the room just enough for Lee to see a shadow moving across the far wall. He watched as the shadowed figure crouched down and opened the cabinet in the corner. He held the bat above his shoulder, poised and ready to swing as he slowly crept across the carpeted floor. Lee heard the sound of glass bottles bumping into each other as the unknown intruder removed several decanters from the cabinet. Lee crept forward until he was only a few feet away, well within the swing of the bat and said, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

The unknown intruder dropped the glass bottles with a soft thud on the carpet and spun around. Lee tensed up and began to swing when he heard a frightened voice cry out, "I'm sorry, Mr. Stetson, really I am! Please don't hit me!"

Lee checked the bat, immediately dropping it onto the floor beside him. "Jimmy! What are you doing?" Lee snapped.

Jimmy cowered away from Lee, his hands covering his head, still afraid Lee was going to swing the bat at him once more. "I'm sorry, sir. I was just trying to have a little fun, that's all," Jimmy whined softly.

"A little fun? What? Jimmy, that's where we keep the…" Lee's voice trailed off when he realized Jimmy was trying to sneak some of the alcohol they kept in the cabinet.

"Lee? What's going on?" Amanda called from the top of the stairs.

Lee looked at Jimmy, still cowering, a fat, glistening tear sliding down his cheek in the moonlight. He crossed the room and called softly up the stairs, "It's okay, Amanda, go back to bed. I'll be up in a few minutes."

"What's going on?" she asked again. Lee could see her looking intently at him, a tense expression on her face.

Lee shook his head and said, "I'll explain when I come up. Go, please." Amanda stared at him then nodded and climbed the steps to their bedroom.

Lee returned to the living room and offered Jimmy his hand to help him up. "Come in the kitchen with me so we can talk," he instructed. Jimmy followed, his head hanging. Once seated at the table, Lee folded his hands and looked at the teen. "Why would you do that? Why did you think it would be okay to try to do that?"

Jimmy shrugged his slumped shoulders and whispered, "You hear all the older kids talking about how cool it is, you know. I just…"

"You just what? Wanted to try it out?" Lee interrogated the boy.

Jimmy folded his arms, hugging himself tightly in fear while more tears streamed silently down his face.

Lee, uncomfortable with the situation he now found himself in, immediately continued his interrogation, "So... what, you figured you'd wait until everyone is asleep and sneak a little sip here and there? And then what?"

"I don't…I don't know. I just wanted to see-" Jimmy stuttered.

"See what? What it was like to get buzzed, drunk?" Lee snapped. "How do you think you'd explain that to your parents when they came to pick you up and you're hungover and sick?"

Jimmy shook his head, "No, sir. The older boys never talk about that stuff. You're not… you're not going to tell my parents, are you?" He looked up at Lee, his brown eyes full of fear.

Lee stared at him and realized the tough exterior he had was merely a front for a scared kid, much like Lee himself had been when he first went to live with his uncle. "Jimmy, this is pretty serious so, yes, I do think we should have a conversation with your parents. And, I think you should sit down and talk to them about the things you hear at school."

Jimmy looked down at his hands and picked at a hangnail on his thumb. "You don't know my dad. I'm gonna be grounded for a month now," he groaned.

Lee put his hand on the boy's shoulder and said softly, "I think you'll be okay. And right now, it's…almost three in the morning so head downstairs and get some sleep. We'll talk more over breakfast."

Jimmy stood up slowly and raised his chin, "Mr. Stetson, you're not going to say anything to the other guys, are you? I don't want them thinking I'm a jerk for trying to do this."

Lee gave Jimmy a weak smile and replied, "No, I won't say anything to them, and we won't tell your parents in front of them either. Now go, get some sleep."

Jimmy nodded and walked slowly down the steps. When he disappeared from Lee's sight, Lee stood, walked into the living room and picked up the baseball bat to return to bed. He found Amanda sitting up, waiting for him.

"What happened?" she asked.

Lee didn't reply until after he propped the baseball bat up near the doorway and climbed into bed. "Well, our mysterious intruder was just Jimmy looking for what he thought was going to be a little fun." He spent the next few minutes explaining the conversation he had with the boy and what the outcome was.

Amanda snuggled down against Lee's chest as she said, "Sweetheart, I think you did the right thing."

"You do?" Lee asked, hugging her tightly.

"Yes," she replied. "And I think tomorrow, you should be the one to talk to his parents. Then, after they're gone, we will sit down with the boys and discuss this together. After all, if Jimmy's been hearing these rites of passage that means Philip's probably heard them too. Maybe even Jamie. And I think if we all sit down calmly and talk about it, we can get a lot resolved."

Lee thought for a moment before asking, "You mean like we all sit down together and discuss the dangers of drinking?"

"Exactly," Amanda sighed. "Now, can we get some sleep?"

"Yeah, we can get some sleep," Lee replied but as Amanda drifted off, Lee found it much harder as his mind was whirling about what he was going to say during their discussion the next day. He thought back to the first time his uncle had found him, sick and hungover after hanging out with several of the younger officers. His uncle gave him no sympathy for how sick he was feeling. Instead, he had him outside, chopping and stacking wood for most of the day. The only thing his uncle allowed him to eat or drink all day was water. Lee had been so angry at the time but looking back now, he realized what his uncle had done. Instead of letting him wallow in his own stupidity, he kept him hydrated and moving to help the effects of the alcohol work through his system faster.

As the minutes ticked by, in his mind, Lee devised a plan of what he wanted to say to the boys. As the pieces fell into place, he gave Amanda a gentle squeeze and slipped into a dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Thank you, boys. I hope you had a good time," Amanda said cheerfully as Reggie and Wally were leaving.

"Thanks, Mrs. King!" the boys chimed together.

Amanda smiled as she corrected them, "That's Mrs. Stetson, now."

"Amanda, I hope the boys weren't too much trouble. We didn't even know you weren't feeling well," Mrs. Armstrong, Reggie's mother commented.

Amanda shook her head as she insisted, "No, I'm feeling much better today. My head barely hurts at all this morning."

Mrs. Mason nodded sympathetically, "I'm so glad. I hope the boys behaved."

Lee stepped off the stairs behind her, the sound drawing her attention. "My husband kept an eye on them for me. Yesterday wasn't such a good day. The side effects of this concussion are bouncing between my head and my stomach, but today…so far so good. Lee made eggs for breakfast for everyone and that seems to be sitting well."

"Amanda, would you like more tea? I'm headed into the kitchen now to see if Jimmy, Jamie, and Philip are all set," Lee stated.

"Oh, tea would be nice. Chamomile, please," Amanda replied with a smile.

As Lee walked into the kitchen, Mrs. Mason grabbed Amanda's arm. She leaned close to her and whispered loudly, "Amanda, your husband can make breakfast for me anytime!"

Amanda blushed as she replied, "He's a wonderful cook. I'm very lucky. And he's great with the boys."

Mrs. Armstrong whistled low and said, "I bet he's wonderful at a lot of things."

Amanda chuckled but before she could reply to Mrs. Armstrong, Eddie's dad pulled into the driveway and beeped. "Eddie, your dad's here!" Amanda called out.

Eddie ran past her, his backpack slung over one shoulder, bouncing as he ran. "Thank you!" he called as he slipped into the car and they pulled away.

"I guess Eddie was in a hurry to go," Dotty commented as she descended the steps.

"Eddie has hockey tryouts this morning. He thinks he's gonna make varsity, but I don't know," Philip explained from the doorway. He was munching on a piece of toast as he talked, the crumbs sprinkling down his shirt.

"Whether he makes it or not, I'm glad you fellas went to bed at a reasonable hour last night," Amanda commented. "Philip, take your toast back in the kitchen before you get any more of it on the floor." Philip looked down at his shirt, shrugged his shoulders then turned and headed back into the kitchen without a word.

"I guess we better get going too. Is anyone else still here?" Mrs. Armstrong asked.

"Just Jimmy. His parents should be here any minute," Amanda replied. She scanned the street for any sign of their car. "I'll see you both in the pick-up line at school, I'm sure."

"Enjoy the rest of your day," Mrs. Mason replied as the two ladies walked back to their cars parked on the street.

Amanda closed the door and found Jamie, Philip, Jimmy, Dotty and Lee in the kitchen sitting at the island, the boys were finishing their breakfast. "Jimmy, did your Dad say what time he and your mom would be here?" Amanda asked as she accepted the cup of tea Lee handed her. "Mmmm, this is good."

Jimmy dropped his fork on the plate and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "No, no, no," Dotty insisted, handing Jimmy a napkin. Jimmy accepted the napkin sheepishly and wiped his mouth with it.

"She's not really my mom," Jimmy muttered quietly behind the napkin.

"I'm sorry?" Amanda asked, unsure what he said.

Jimmy pushed his remaining eggs around the plate and mumbled again, "She's not really my mom. My mom died when I was only six. Maryanne is my step mom but she makes me call her mom."

"Aw, Jimmy. I'm sorry. I didn't know that. I bet she loves you a whole lot though," Amanda suggested sadly.

Jimmy shrugged his shoulders and muttered again, "I guess." He tensed up immediately when the doorbell rang, his eyes widening in fear.

Lee, observing Jimmy's reaction, stated, "I'll get it. You guys stay here and finish your breakfast."

Jimmy could hear Lee inviting his Dad inside as he tried to eat another bite. He choked on the eggs in his mouth, gagged, then quickly tried to wash it down with the remaining juice in his cup. Amanda, watching Jimmy, reached out and rubbed his back as he coughed harshly. He quieted down under Amanda's soothing touch.

"Coffee?" Lee offered as he walked back into the kitchen, Mr. and Mrs. Cardiman following him just steps behind.

"Please," Mr. Cardiman replied. He looked over to see Jimmy sitting at the island, "Did you have fun, Jimmy?"

"Yes, sir," Jimmy said quietly. He took his plate and cup to the sink and placed them down carefully. "I'm going to make sure I have everything," he explained before slipping down the stairs to the basement.

"Jimmy seems rather quiet this morning," Mrs. Cardiman commented.

"Boys, could you go downstairs and make sure everything is cleaned up. But send Jimmy back up here, please. We want to ask him something," Amanda instructed. "And make sure to vacuum all that popcorn out of the couch."

"I told you she was going to know!" Jamie elbowed Philip before they descended the stairs.

"Jimmy, my mom needs you," Philip called out as they got closer to the landing. Several seconds later, Jimmy appeared in the kitchen.

Dotty looked at Jimmy then at Amanda and Lee before stating, "I'll go help Philip and Jamie clean up." She took her coffee mug with her and headed down to the basement as well.

"Jimmy, could you sit down again please?" Lee asked.

Jimmy sighed heavily before slumping into a chair at the table away from the island. "Yes, sir," he exhaled.

Lee rubbed his coffee mug with one hand and looked over at Mr. Cardiman. "Jimmy, could you tell your dad about what you heard at school?" Lee asked.

Jimmy looked up at Lee, confused. He chewed on his bottom lip several times, before he asked, "You mean, what the older boys were talking about?" Lee nodded, hoping Jimmy would be completely honest.

Before Jimmy could say anything, Mr. Cardiman said, "This sounds like I may want to sit down for this. Maryanne, do you want to join us?" He held out a chair for her, Lee following suit for Amanda.

When they were all sitting, Lee encouraged Jimmy again, "Now, go on."

Jimmy looked down at his hands on the table and said quietly, "The… um… the seniors were talking about…" His voice faded off and he continued to stare at his hands.

"Jimmy, are you going to tell me what they were talking about or are you just going to waste everyone's time?" his father snapped. Jimmy picked at the hangnail on his thumb and wiggled in his seat.

"They were bragging about…" Jimmy tried again but his father interrupted him once more.

"Bragging about what? Seriously, why are we sitting here, Mr. Stetson? When you phoned this morning and asked for both us to be here, I didn't know what to think. Now, I'm beginning to think Jimmy got himself into trouble once again," Mr. Cardiman snapped as he started to stand.

Amanda pressed her hand to her forehead as she said loudly, "Mr. Cardiman I think you need to sit down and listen to your son. He has something very important to tell you and I think you need to hear it."

Mrs. Cardiman's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Mrs. King, I can't believe-"

"Mrs. Stetson and believe it," Amanda deadpanned as she exhaled. Her head was spinning, and she was beginning to feel sick. She inhaled through her nose then exhaled through her mouth once more.

"Amanda," Lee noticed her reaction.

"I'm okay," Amanda insisted. "Go on, Jimmy."

Jimmy sat up straighter in the chair, looked at his father and said in one breath, "The seniors were talking about how cool it is to get drunk."

Mr. Cardiman stood and thrust his hand out, "That's what you called me for? To tell me my son has been hearing stories of older boys getting drunk?"

Lee stood and leveled his eyes at Mr. Cardiman. "There's more to it. Now, I would suggest you sit down and listen to what else he has to tell you," he said firmly.

Mr. Cardiman slowly sat back down and looked at Jimmy, his lips pulled tight. Jimmy swallowed hard but his eyes never left his father's face as he said, "I tried to take alcohol out of Mr. Stetson's liquor cabinet last night because I wanted to feel what it was like, too."

Mr. Cardiman's mouth twisted to the side as he ground his teeth together, deciding what to say next. "You did what?" he hissed. Before Jimmy could stand up, his father was beside him, dragging him off the chair by the arm. "We'll deal with this at home!" he snapped. He turned toward the door to find Lee standing in his way. "Mr. Stetson, if you don't mind. I'll deal with my son and his… behavior… at home," Mr. Cardiman stated.

"Mrs. Cardiman, have you and Mr. Cardiman had the conversation with Jimmy about the dangers of drinking?" Amanda asked quietly, rubbing her temple absentmindedly.

"Well, no, we didn't think we needed to. He's only fourteen," Mrs. Cardiman admitted.

"Only fourteen. Young enough to not understand the dangers, but old enough to want to try it anyway," Amanda said.

Mr. Cardiman looked at Amanda when he realized what she was saying. He released his hold on Jimmy's arm and pulled him tightly against his body in a hug. "I'm sorry, son. She's right. We should have told you before now… before something happens. Your mother and I only want the best for you."

"She's not my mother! She'll never replace mom," Jimmy cried against his father's chest.

"No, Jimmy. I'll never replace your mother, but I do love you as if you were my own," Mrs. Cardiman explained as she rose from her seat to join her husband.

Mr. Cardiman looked at Lee and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Stetson, not only for what Jimmy tried to do in your home but for my actions as well." He offered Lee his hand in apology which Lee gladly took and shook firmly.

"Jimmy is welcome in our home anytime, but I think right now, you have a long overdue conversation waiting to be had at your own home," Lee assured them.

The group slowly made their way to the front door, both Mr. and Mrs. Cardiman offering apologies once more. "Tell you what, let's get together in a week or so for dinner one night," Amanda suggested.

"Thank you. We'd love that," Mrs. Cardiman replied as they stepped outside, Mr. Cardiman's arm around his son's shoulders.

Lee closed the door after the Cardiman's climbed into their car. He turned to Amanda and asked, "You feeling all right?"

Amanda closed her eyes and shook her head slowly as she admitted, "No, but I think we have a conversation of our own to have with the boys."

"Amanda, if you're not feeling well, it can wait a few hours," Lee said as he rubbed her back with one hand.

"No, I don't want to wait any longer for this one," Amanda stated firmly and walked back into the kitchen leaving Lee standing by the front door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Lee circled the rim of his coffee cup several times with his fingertip as he waited for the boys to settle into their chairs at the table. Amanda sat beside him, sipping her Camomile tea and Dotty was pouring herself another cup of coffee. "Are you sure you need me here?" she asked. Amanda had called everyone up for a family meeting, but Dotty had no idea what it was about.

"Yes, Mother, you should hear this, too," Amanda stated.

Dotty joined the rest of the family a few minutes later and asked with an exasperated sigh, "Now, Missy, what is this all about?"

Lee ran his hand nervously through his hair as he waited for Amanda to say something. Instead, she simply stared at him and nodded, an indication he should be the one to start. He exhaled loudly then asked, "Philip, have you heard any of the older boys at school talking lately?"

Philip shrugged his shoulders and laughed, "Yeah. I mean, it's kind of hard to miss them. They're in the hall, in the locker room, on the court. And, not for nothing, they can be pretty loud."

"What kind of things do they talk about, Sweetheart?" Amanda asked between sips of her tea. She was holding her mug close to her face, watching her oldest son over the rim.

"I don't know, homework, girls, sports. You know, stuff," Philip replied.

"Do they ever talk about parties?" Lee asked pointedly. He stopped fidgeting with his hair and was now gripping his mug tightly.

Philip looked at Lee strangely as he answered, "Well, yeah. I mean, there's a party almost every weekend at somebody's house."

"Bet you'll never get invited," Jamie teased as he elbowed his brother.

"I'm not a nerd like you, Wormbrain!" Philip snapped back but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"Boys, this is serious," Amanda stopped them. Both boys looked at her with surprised expressions on their faces. They leaned forward, their elbows on the table, one hand flat over the other, concentrating on Amanda.

"Mom, when you say serious, what do you mean?" Jamie asked.

"Philip, Jamie, have you ever heard the older boys talking about drinking?" Lee questioned.

Philip leaned back in his chair, flicked his hand forward and laughed, "Yeah, all the time. They brag about it constantly. They think they're so cool but I think-"

"Yeah, I heard that kid… um… Mike… Mike… you know the captain of the basketball team that's always flirting with the cheerleaders…" Jamie prompted.

"Mike Stephens?" Philip asked.

"Yeah, him. He was talking with the other players, Jeff and Drew, I think, and he was saying how he was so drunk last weekend he was messed up!" Jamie exclaimed loudly.

Philip nodded, "Yeah, I heard that too. One of the girls in my history class was talking about it because her sister was there. I guess he puked all over himself too."

"Gross!" Jamie exclaimed loudly with a grimace on his face at the idea.

"Boys," Amanda called to get their attention back to the adults. The boys stopped talking and looked back at her.

"Mom, why are we talking about this?" Philip asked with a small shake of his head.

"Well, something happened last night," Lee began.

Jamie, as intuitive as ever, piped up, "What happened? Did someone get drunk in the neighborhood?"

"No, not that we know of, sweetheart," Amanda replied, trying to refocus the conversation once more.

"No one got drunk here last night, did they, Amanda?" Dotty's eyes grew large at the mere thought. "I know it wasn't you, so that leaves…Lee? Oh, Lee! Why would you do something like that? Especially with Amanda in her condition and the boys with their friends here! Oh what their parents must be thinking right now! Is that why you were the last one down this morning?" Dotty rambled one question after another.

"No! Dotty, no! I didn't get drunk last night," Lee insisted between her questions. "And I was the last one down because I was helping Amanda get ready."

"Well, I know it wasn't me. And it wasn't Amanda and you say it wasn't you. That could only mean..." Dotty stopped and stared at Philip and Jamie, shocked.

"Mother! No one here got drunk either!" Amanda snapped. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to fight off the headache that was already forming.

"Oh, thank goodness! I mean that would be awful to think that the boys…or one of their friends…would do something like that here," Dotty exhaled and covered her heart with her hand.

Lee looked at Amanda and asked, "You sure you don't want to go lay down?"

Amanda shook her head gently and insisted, "No, we need to explain."

Lee took a deep breath and as he exhaled he said, "Boys, I caught one of your friends trying to get into the liquor cabinet in the living room after everyone was asleep."

Philip scrunched up his face in confusion. He sat back and folded his arms, stating, "Well, I don't know about Junior here and his friends, but mine wouldn't do anything like that."

Jamie's mouth fell open at the accusation, "My friends wouldn't be that stupid either!"

"I'm not going to tell you who it was, but we do need to talk about this. Drinking is not something to mess around with. It doesn't make you cool and getting drunk only makes you sick," Lee pointed out.

Philip opened his mouth, closed it then opened it again and asked, "Lee, if it doesn't make you cool, then why do people do it? I mean, why would anyone want to make themselves sick on purpose?"

Lee looked at him and replied, "Well, sometimes you don't even know you've had too much to drink until it's too late. Some drinks don't even taste like alcohol and before you know it, you've had too much. I mean, sure, at the time, consuming the drinks might be fun but afterward, the hangover…you feel like you've crawled out of a dumpster and someone's jammed your mouth with cotton. You're sick to your stomach for most of the day and your head pounds with the worst headache you've ever had. Your eyes feel like someone dumped a pound of sand in each of them. And if you're lucky, you've thrown up enough to get some of it out of your system but you've left your throat raw and your stomach in knots."

Philip looked at him and blinked several times, letting the descriptions sink in. His face blanched and he put his hand over his mouth as if he was feeling the effects as described to him. "I don't ever want to feel like that," he said finally.

"Me either," Jamie agreed. "Mom, what if..." his voice trickled off, unsure how to ask the next question.

"Go on, Jamie. What if what?" she encouraged softly.

Jamie leaned into the palm of one hand, covering his mouth for a few seconds before asking, "What if we get invited to a party and someone offers us a drink…you know…like a beer or something?"

"Well, Jamie, that's going to be up to you. You can say no thank you, you can simply walk away or if you choose to try it, be smart about it," Amanda stated.

"When you say be smart about it…" Philip began.

Lee nodded. "Be smart. Drink it slowly, take your time. Laugh and joke with your friends but keep that one drink. Don't ever put it down. If you do, don't pick it back up again unless you've seen it the entire time. Most of the time, no one is going to pay attention to how much you're drinking. For all they know, that could be your first or your fifth drink. But most importantly, don't ever drive or get in the car with someone who's been drinking," Lee jumped in.

Jamie turned to look at Lee, "If I put the drink down, why can't I pick it back up again?"

"Because, depending on who you are with, someone could slip a drug into your drink when you're not looking," Lee stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh," both boys replied solemnly. The look of fear that flashed on their faces for just a moment, caused Amanda's heart to sink just a little at the realization of how many bad things could happen to her boys in the blink of an eye.

"But that's not going to happen, fellas," she said cheerfully, trying to change the dark mood that just settled over the table. "And you know why that's not going to happen? Because you are smart boys, you're my boys and what have I told you since you were little. Knowledge is…"

"Power!" the boys chimed in unison, a silly grin appearing on their faces.

"And knowing the dangers ahead of time makes you…" Amanda reminded them as she bit her bottom lip.

"Powerful! Like He-Man or Schwarzenegger!" Jamie jumped up out of his chair.

"Or Hulk Hogan!" Philip laughed as he also stood and flexed his biceps. The two brothers looked at each other and laughed loudly until they were out of breath.

"Fellas, you do understand what we're trying to say, don't you?" Amanda asked.

Philip walked around the table, put his arms around his mother and said, "You don't have to worry about us, Mom."

"Yeah," Jamie added, copying his brother's actions. "You don't need to worry so much. We got this."

Lee smiled from across the table at his wife and her sons. He sighed happily, convinced the conversation was a success and that the boys were right, they needn't worry about them. They each had a good head on their shoulders and when the time came, he was confident they would make the right decisions.

"Well, now that we got all that out of the way, we could use some help taking down those decorations," Dotty announced with a clap of her hands.

"Lee and I will take care of those, Mother," Amanda assured her.

"No, you are going to go up and rest for a while. The boys will help me, won't you fellas?" Lee said.

Jamie and Philip took one quick look at Lee, then at each other and without a word, ran up the stairs laughing the whole way. They heard one door bang closed and the sound of laughter faded and was replaced with loud music.

Amanda sighed, "What am I going to do with them?"

Dotty stood, gave Amanda a hug and laughed, "Nothing. They're boys!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Lee stood in the driveway, holding the door open to the Jeep, his lips pursed together. He was frustrated. There were no other words to describe it. He'd spent all morning trying to convince Amanda to see Dr. Kelford and she spent most of the morning giving him every reason she didn't need to see him. Lee's patience had worn thin after the second hour when Amanda rushed into the bathroom, throwing up once again. As Lee waited for her to come back into the kitchen, he called Dr. Kelford and made an appointment for one o'clock. The doctor insisted he would have copies of all of Amanda's medical records from the hospital faxed over before then so he could review the x-rays and the ER doctor's notes. Now, he was standing, holding the door while Amanda took her time walking outside, like a petulant child. Once she was finally seated, he resisted the urge to slam the door closed, knowing she had a headache already.

"Do you want your sunglasses?" Lee asked as he slipped into the driver's seat. Amanda nodded, squinting her eyes in the bright sunlight even though the brim of the hat was shading her eyes. Lee wiggled his fingers under the emergency brake where the sunglasses had slipped down, extracted the eyewear and handed them to Amanda who slipped the dark lenses on with no complaint. Lee exhaled loudly as he pulled out onto the street to begin their twenty-minute ride to the Agency.

Halfway there, Amanda still hadn't said one word to Lee, something he was definitely not used to. He glanced over at her several times, but Amanda just stared out the window, the dark glasses hiding her eyes. Lee ran his free hand through his hair, as he clenched his teeth, while the muscle in his jaw ticked several times before he exhaled once more. He reached over and covered Amanda's hand with his. She didn't turn to look at him, but she did curl her fingers around his and squeeze his hand gently. Lee relaxed slightly, but he knew she was still not happy because he insisted on this visit.

He easily found a spot in the darkened parking garage, turned the car off and turned to look at Amanda. "Look, I know you don't want to be here any more than I want to show up at a hospital either but, please, just do this. For me," he pleaded.

Amanda leaned back against the seat of the car and removed the sunglasses so Lee could see her face completely. "Lee, I'm sure there is nothing Dr. Kelford is going to tell us that the doctor in the emergency room didn't already tell us. But I know it will give you peace of mind which is why I agreed to come," Amanda explained. She could see Lee visibly relax at her admission so she added, "Now, can we get this over with, please."

Lee reached up, cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her lightly before agreeing, "Yeah, let's get this over with."

They climbed out of the car and Amanda tucked the sunglasses into her pocket as she reached out to take Lee's hand in hers. They took the outside elevator down directly to Dr. Kelford's office, avoiding as many people as they could. Amanda was self-conscious about the healing bruise on her forehead now mottled yellow, green and purple. She had wanted to cover it with make-up, but Lee suggested wearing the hat instead so Dr. Kelford could get a better look at it. They arrived at his office without incident, opened the door and stepped inside.

"Ah, Mrs. Stetson!" Dr. Kelford announced with a smile. "I'm glad to see you finally took Scarecrow's advice."

Amanda smiled sheepishly as she replied, "Hello, Dr. Kelford. Yes, he finally convinced me to come in, although I don't know that you're going to find anything different than that nice doctor at the hospital."

"Well, that's going to be my job to figure it out then, isn't it," Dr. Kelford nodded. "Let's start by checking out the impact site, shall we? Take a seat over here, please." Amanda sat in the seat he indicated and took off her hat, handing it to Lee as she smoothed her hair back off her face. "That's a nasty looking hit you took," he commented as he gently pressed on the outer edges of the bruise and slowly manipulated his way toward the darker center. Amanda gasped audibly when he pushed the sensitive tissue. "Yes, that's what I expected to happen. Now, do you remember everything that happened before the incident?"

"Yes, sir. I could remember everything right up to when he pushed me. I don't remember hitting my head on the table or the table falling on me again," Amanda confirmed.

"The table hit you again?" Dr. Kelford asked, confused, scanning the notes from the emergency room doctor.

"Yes, after Amanda's head hit the table, she rebounded away from it. The table then toppled down and hit her again," Lee explained.

Dr. Kelford flipped from one page to another then glanced up at Lee, "Where did it hit her? I don't see that in Dr. Sierra's notes."

Lee thought back to the previous week. The image of Amanda collapsing was fresh in his mind, he could clearly see her ricochet away from the table, the table rocking against the wall then back toward her, landing on top of her. "Her shoulders maybe, the back of her neck, somewhere in that area," he stated firmly.

Dr. Kelford put the file down and gestured at Amanda, "Lean forward." He moved her sweatshirt down, searching for any tell-tale bruising. Not finding any, he gingerly moved her hair around until he saw it. The faint lines of a second bruise just under Amanda's hairline at the base of her head. "There's the culprit! This is most likely why your symptoms have been more severe than we usually see. You didn't get hit once, you got the double whammy!" he declared.

Amanda straightened up and gently touched the back of her head. "You mean getting hit twice makes it worse, Doctor?" she asked, confused.

Dr. Kelford bobbed his head from side to side as he explained, "Well, it doesn't necessarily make it worse, but it does take your brain longer to heal from TWO impacts, not just one. And that one back there has been known to wreak havoc with some people. You took quite the one-two punch…no pun intended of course. The only thing that's going to get you better is time. Time and rest."

"Doc, how much time are we talking about here?" Lee asked solemnly.

"As much time as she needs," Doc Kelford said.

Lee extended his hand to Amanda as she reached up to hold his. "So, what can I do?" Amanda asked quietly.

Dr. Kelford raised his shoulders and shook his head as he replied, "Rest. Eat well, keep your strength up. That's about it. There's no medicine, no magic pill for this one."

"Eat well…Amanda's having a hard time keeping anything down," Lee informed him.

"Really? Tell me about it," Dr. Kelford sat on the edge of the table behind him, folded his arms and listened.

"Well, the dizziness makes me sick. There's not much else to tell," Amanda explained. "But my mother did make some ginger chicken soup and it seemed to help. That and Lee has made me some eggs first thing in the morning and that helps for a while. I've been drinking Chamomile or peppermint tea, no coffee."

Dr. Kelford cupped his chin in his hand and thought, "Well, the ginger makes sense. It's a natural anti-nausea, as are the peppermint and Chamomile. The ginger has also been known to help with pain and the eggs are a protein which can help fight off that feeling of sickness. Keeping something in your stomach, as hard as it might be, should help too."

"I'll be sure to fill that prescription, Doc," Lee joked. "So, it's back home and back to bed for you," he said, looking directly at Amanda.

"I'll send an update to Melrose for you," Doc Kelford stated with a nod as he pushed off the table and stood.

Amanda stood slowly, placed her hat back on her head and said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to stop in Billy's office on our way back to the car."

Lee furrowed his brow and asked, "Are you sure? We don't have to stop, you know."

Amanda nodded and stated, "I'm sure."

Lee offered her his hand and agreed, "Let's go see Billy."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Amanda! I didn't expect to see you this morning!" Billy exclaimed as Lee and Amanda entered his office.

"Hello, Sir," Amanda stated softly. "We were just downstairs with Dr. Kelford-"

Billy nodded and interrupted her, "What did Kelford have to say?"

Lee shook his head, "Nothing really. Well, nothing new anyway. I've got to be honest. I figured he'd have us down there all day, rediscovering the human anatomy."

Amanda put her hand up, "No, that's not true. He did discover something new. He found a second bruise."

Billy gestured toward the chairs for them to sit down. He reclined into his oversized leather chair and leaned back. "What? A second bruise? Where?"

Before Amanda or Lee could answer, Francine rapped on the door and opened it quickly, "Billy, I have that report back from Crypto you asked for." She stopped when she noticed Amanda and Lee sitting across from Billy. "Amanda! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be home resting?" she asked.

"Hello, Francine. Lee was worried so he dragged me in to see Dr. Kelford," Amanda teased.

"I didn't drag you in," Lee replied defensively. He turned to look at her, a shocked look on his face.

"Yes, you did," Amanda insisted. She stared into his hazel eyes, her dark brown ones flashing.

"No, I didn't," Lee replied. They sat, eyeing one another.

Without missing a beat, Francine jumped in with a laugh, "I'm sure he did."

Lee looked up and glared at his old friend, "No, I didn't. I brought her down as a follow-up in case the ER doc missed something. I didn't drag her down here."

"Tomato, tomah-to," Francine rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure Amanda did not want to come down here, feeling lousy, just to feed your male ego to always be right."

Lee stood and stepped closer to Francine, "I don't always have to be right. And I'm sorry I was worried about my wife being sick all week from a head injury that we all know could-". He stopped when he saw Francine trying to hold back her laughter. Her shoulders were shaking and she was pursing her lips together, trying not to smile. "What?" he demanded.

Francine couldn't restrain herself anymore and immediately started chuckling loudly. "You!"

Lee looked around the room, confused. Amanda was now giggling, drawing a smile from Billy as well. "I don't get it," he declared, throwing his hands in the air and sinking back down onto the chair.

"I'm just teasing you. Actually, Amanda called me yesterday to say how worried you've been," Francine explained with a laugh. "She knew you would want Doc Kelford to see her because he's more thorough than any other doc we've ever dealt with."

"Amanda? Is that true?" Lee looked at her, stunned.

Amanda nodded, "Yes, I did call Francine yesterday. And yes, I knew you wouldn't have anyone but Dr. Kelford to go over my medical records from Dr. Sierra. And, no, I still didn't want to go but I knew you were going to make me go anyway."

Lee looked at her, his mouth gaping open in surprise. "So, all that complaining this morning…" he trailed off.

Billy covered his mouth, trying to hide the laugh that threatened to burst out. "I find it hard to believe Amanda would complain about doing anything," he teased. Lee simply glared at him, silencing him effectively.

"I really don't feel well and I really didn't want to come this morning because I honestly didn't think Dr. Kelford was going to tell us anything new, but he did, so now I'm glad you made me come," Amanda admitted.

Lee folded his arms and shook his head, "Maybe next time you'll do as I say and we could have avoided the frustration."

Amanda narrowed her eyes and stabbed, "What do you mean by that?"

"How are you feeling, Amanda?" Billy asked, trying to stop the fight he could sense coming.

"Well, sir, the headache comes and goes. Nausea comes and goes too. Mother's soup seems to help," Amanda explained, refocusing her attention on her boss.

Francine couldn't help notice Amanda kept touching the edge of her hat, "How's that bruise healing?" Francine asked.

Amanda smiled weakly and tugged her hat off, revealing the colorful contusion. She brushed her hair off her face and stopped her hand at the base of her neck, "This is where Doctor Kelford found the other bruise. Lee said the table hit me a second time, here on the back on my head."

"That must of been pretty painful," Billy nodded.

"Yes, well, I don't remember that part of it and the bump on the front has had all my attention I didn't even know about the one on the back," Amanda admitted. "Dr. Kelford seems to think that's why the symptoms have been pretty severe, but he said to follow his suggestions and I'll get better soon."

"And what were Dr. Kelford's suggestions?" Billy asked politely.

"Time. That and rest," Lee stated. "He did say he wants to be sure she's keeping something in her stomach to fight off the nausea. He seems to think that's making it worse."

Billy nodded sympathetically, "Well, we can certainly make sure you get the time, Amanda. And don't worry, you'll still get paid while you're out."

Amanda sighed softly, "Thank you, sir. That's very kind of you."

Billy leaned forward, "No need to thank me. After all, you did get hurt working on a case."

Lee reached out and took Amanda's hand and said, "Thanks, Billy."

Amanda squeezed Lee's hand gently before she lifted her hat and placed it back on her head. "Lee, I'd like to go home now, if you don't mind. I'm getting a little tired and my head's starting to hurt again," she stated quietly.

Lee stood quickly, "Mind? Amanda, did you just ask if I mind? Why would I mind? Let's get you home and back in bed where you belong."

Francine laughed loudly, "Scarecrow, I never thought I'd hear the day you would be telling Amanda King she belonged home in bed."

"Can it, Francine! Can't you see Amanda's not feeling well? This really isn't the time for jokes," Billy snapped.

Amanda shook her head gently and smiled, "It's okay, Francine. Sometimes I still have a hard time believing it myself. Not that I belong home in bed, just that it's now Lee's bed, too."

Francine touched Amanda's arm, "And when you're feeling better, you'll have to give me all the dirt on-"

Lee bit his lip then interrupted, "Ladies, if you don't mind, I'd like to get Amanda home now so she can rest." Lee put his hand on Amanda's lower back to guide her toward the door.

Amanda smiled and said softly, "Don't worry, Francine. I'll have you over for chocolate chip cookies and ice cream again and we'll talk."

"Great, now I have my wife and one of my oldest friends ready to swap stories. What is this, the Twilight Zone?" Lee groaned.

Billy chuckled once more, "Some days, I have to agree, Scarecrow. Now go, before you get stuck here." Lee opened the door but was startled when the phone jangled loudly on Billy's desk. "Melrose. Yes, Leatherneck, Scarecrow is standing right here. Really, that's great news! I'll let him know." Billy replaced the phone on the receiver and looked up at Lee. "Leatherneck is happy to report your car is officially finished. He said you can pick it up tomorrow morning."

"Really? Wow, that is great news," Lee exclaimed.

"Then you can return the one you've been using back to the motor pool," Billy reminded him.

"Honestly, the car's been sitting in the driveway most of the week since Amanda hasn't been using hers," Lee admitted. "Let me get Amanda home and I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning."

Billy nodded then teased, "You mean you're actually going to do some work around here?"

"Ha ha, very funny. Yes, I have a few things I need to wrap up. There's the review on the Hillard case you asked for and I need to turn in my expense reports for last month. With the wedding and everything, I'm sort of behind," Lee grumbled.

"Behind? You mean you've even started? Lee, that's so unlike you," Francine teased once more.

Lee didn't reply, he glared at Francine as he guided Amanda through the door, out into the bullpen to take her home.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Amanda, while you rest, I'm going to head into our office and try to do some work on those expense reports," Lee explained as he helped Amanda onto the couch. "Are you sure you'll be comfortable down here?"

"I'll be fine, Sweetheart. The boys are right in the kitchen if I need anything. They promised to work on their homework quietly and then Mother is going to take them out to pick up a few things at the grocery store," Amanda assured him.

Lee shook his head as he shook out the blanket before draping it over her. "I still say it will be much easier if we just got your mother her own car. Then she wouldn't have had to wait for us to get back this afternoon and she could have picked up the boys, too."

Amanda captured his hand under hers, "Lee, it's not really a big deal."

"I know it's not a big deal, but if she had her own car then we could have come right home from the office. Instead, you got sick again while we waited for Philip to get out of class," Lee stated firmly.

Amanda exhaled loudly. She knew Lee was right, but she didn't know how they could add another car to their budget. Between the added expenses of the new house, she didn't think purchasing a car for her mother and adding more to their insurance would be a good idea. She was mentally calculating their current budget when Lee put his hand on her shoulder and instructed her, "Relax. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, 'How could we possibly add another car?' aren't you?"

Amanda nodded sheepishly. "I'm not sure how we could possibly add more to our budget," she admitted.

Lee patted her shoulder and assured her, "It's going to be fine. And It's not like I'm going to go out and buy her a car without talking to you first."

"I know, Sweetheart. I just can't help it," Amanda replied softly before she closed her eyes and settled against the pillows. She tried to stifle a yawn unsuccessfully.

"Get some rest. I'll be in the office," Lee stated before he kissed her forehead.

Amanda yawned again, put her hand on Lee's once more and asked, "Will you put my hat in the closet, please, before you get too involved?"

Lee lifted her hat off the table and replied, "Sure, now get some rest." He jogged up to their bedroom, dropped her hat onto her bureau before returning to the kitchen. "Hey, fellas, I'll be in the office if you need me. Your mom's resting now."

"Ok, Lee," Jamie replied without looking up from his homework. Philip simply nodded in Lee's direction before shoving another cookie in his mouth. Lee turned and headed into the hall where he pulled his keys out of his jacket pocket, unlocked the office door and headed inside. He immediately put his keys down on the edge of his desk, took off his jacket and draped it over a chair before settling himself down.

An hour later, Dotty knocked on the slightly open door and said, "Lee? Jamie and I are leaving now. Philip has opted to stay here in case you're still working, and Amanda needs anything. He's still working on his science homework, anyway."

Lee looked up from the stack of receipts and file he had before him. "Thanks, Dotty. Do you need any money or anything for groceries?"

Dotty leaned against the door frame and smiled, "No, I'm just picking up a few things for dinner. Did the doctor say anything?"

"Huh?" Lee asked confused. His mind was completely focused on trying to make sense of the expense report.

"The doctor. You know, the one you took Amanda to earlier this afternoon," Dotty reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. Dr. Kelford is very good. We use him at work all the time and I wouldn't trust anyone else like I trust him," Lee stated firmly.

Dotty shook her head, "Amanda's doctor has been wonderful for years, too. I think this is the first time she didn't do a follow-up with him."

Lee shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I can tell you Doc Kelford found a second bruise on the back of Amanda's head that the emergency room doctor missed. He said that might be why she isn't getting better faster."

Dotty's hand immediately covered her mouth and she couldn't help glance in the direction of the living room where Amanda was still asleep. "Oh no. Is she going to be okay?"

Lee stood, walked around the desk and placed his hands on Dotty's shoulders. "She's going to be all right. The doctor said it's just going to take time and a lot of rest. Oh, and he did say we have to make sure she's eating enough. He said an empty stomach may make the nausea worse so…"

"So, I'll be sure to keep her snacking! Oh, it's just like when she was a little girl. Our family doctor was so worried about her because she was so little. He told us we had to keep feeding her and eventually she'd catch up to the other kids her age. Well, I made sure she had a small snack every hour when she was awake. She caught right up to where she should have been. Then she hit eleven and kept growing and growing until she was taller than everyone in her class. She was all arms and legs, I'll tell you!" Dotty rambled but relaxed as she talked. She sighed loudly before she jumped. "Oh! We better get going otherwise we'll get stuck in all kinds of traffic and you know how I feel about traffic."

"I know, Dotty. I'll be sure Amanda eats something as soon as she wakes up," Lee smiled. "But for now, I need to finish this expense report, or my boss will be breathing down my neck."

"Expense report? You have to fill out an expense report? Doesn't IFF cover all your expenses?" Dotty asked, confused.

Lee nodded, "They do but I have to explain what the expenses were for. So, for example, if we take a client out for lunch, IFF will pay us back for that as long as it was a working lunch."

"Oh, well,l that makes sense," Dotty reasoned. "Well, we're off!" she stated with a flourish. "Come on, Jamie. Away we go."

Jamie closed his book and put it back in his bag, "I'm ready, Grandma." The pair left minutes later, leaving Philip sitting at the table staring at his science book.

Lee sat back down at his desk and thirty minutes later he tucked his receipts into an envelope, along with his completed report. He could hear Philip calling him from the kitchen, so he stood and left the office, pulling the door closed behind him. "What's up, Philip?"

Philip was leaning on his elbow, cradling his chin in his hand, "I need some help. I don't understand this."

Lee looked over Philip's shoulder and asked, "What are you working on?"

Philip pointed to a section of the page displaying the periodic table of elements. "So, I'm supposed to figure out what these formulas mean and break them down into all the elements, but I don't get it."

Lee studied the page for a moment then nodded. "Ok, this one here, water. Water is H2O, right?"

Philip nodded, "Yeah."

Lee pointed to the periodic table on the page and said, "And H means Hydrogen, O means Oxygen."

Philip stared at the page for a few seconds, then lifted his head, "So if water is H2O then it's two parts Hydrogen and one-part Oxygen."

"That's right. So, let's try another one," Lee confirmed.

Philip took a deep breath and wrote down the next formula, "Hydrogen Peroxide. It's H2O2 so that must be two parts Hydrogen and two parts Oxygen?"

Lee smiled, "Now you get it. Do you have a lot more to do?"

"No, there are only ten problems, but I understand it now. Mom woke up a few minutes ago but she said she didn't want anything but some water," Philip informed him.

Lee leaned into the doorway and asked, "Amanda? Can I get you something to eat?"

Amanda was sitting up on the couch, sipping her water. "No, I'm fine right now. I'm just going to finish my water before I start making dinner," she said softly.

"You are going to do nothing of the sort!" Lee stated. Amanda looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Dotty is at the store now picking up some groceries for dinner, so you are just going to relax a little bit longer. Remember what Doc Kelford said. Time and rest!"

Amanda sighed, "I hate this."

Lee entered the room and sat down beside her. He rubbed her back with one hand as he said, "I know you do. I hate it, too. But if I've learned one thing from Doc Kelford, I've learned pushing yourself isn't going to help in situations like this."

"I know, Sweetheart. Can I at least help you finish your report?" Amanda asked, her eyes pleading with him.

"Sure, you can help me. I just finished the expense report, but I do have to finish the write up on what happened in the park with Francine," Lee agreed.

Amanda smiled and stood slowly, "I'm just going to make a trip to the powder room, and I'll meet you in the office."

Lee smiled back and watched her until she disappeared into the hallway and out of sight. He returned to the kitchen, noticed Philip now easily finishing his homework and he continued to the office. He turned the knob, but the door wouldn't open. Lee tried again and quickly realized the door was locked. He tapped his pockets, stepped into the hall to see if his keys were on the table beside the door. He looked around then remembered he left his keys on the corner of the desk. Snapping his fingers, he walked back into the kitchen where Amanda's purse was sitting on the counter. He searched her bag for her set of keys but came up empty-handed. "Philip, do you know where your mother's keys are? I locked myself out of the office," he explained.

"Grandma took them. She couldn't find her keys, so she took Mom's," Philip informed him.

"Great," Lee groaned.

He was trying to remember where the extra key was when Philip asked, "Why don't you just pick the lock?"

Lee stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Philip. He cringed when he saw Amanda standing in the doorway. Nervously he ran his hand through his hair as she asked, "What do you mean by that, Philip?"

Philip looked up from his homework and said, "I saw him do it before, so why doesn't he just do it now?" Lee took a step back, biting his lip, scrambling to find an answer for Philip.

"You saw Lee pick a lock, Sweetheart?" Amanda asked, her eyes narrowed on Lee's face.

"Yeah, when we were at the Cumberland for your wedding. You weren't answering the door, so Lee-" Philip began, but stopped when he remembered Lee asked him not to say anything. He looked at Lee's face and muttered, "Oh, sorry."

Amanda held her composure as she stated, "Lee, can I have a word with you in the other room please?"

"Yeah," Lee muttered. After Amanda walked past him into the foyer, he looked at Philip and groaned, "Thanks, pal." He followed behind her, holding his breath, anticipating what was coming.

"Lee, why did you pick the lock on my door and how did Philip see you do it?" she whispered sharply.

"He was standing outside of your room and he said he'd been knocking for a long time, but you weren't answering which is not like you, so I got worried," Lee tried to explain.

"So how did worrying lead to you picking the lock in front of him?" she hissed.

Lee cringed again, "I didn't even think, I just reacted and by the time I had the pick in the lock he had already noticed… Look, Amanda, I'm sorry."

Amanda put her hand out to touch his arm as she said, "I know you are, but it doesn't change the fact that now my son knows you carry a gun and can pick locks. What else has he seen you do?"

"Nothing else, I promise," Lee held his hands up. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"You're darn right. And you won't need to pick the lock anyway. The spare key is in the top drawer of your bureau," Amanda reminded him.

Lee leaned forward, gave her a quick kiss, "You're an angel." He ran up the stairs to collect the extra key before she could say anything else.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Hey, Ace, it's about time you showed up," Leatherneck teased Lee as he entered the garage. Leatherneck wiped his greasy hands on the rag tucked into his front pocket and offered his hand.

Lee shook his hand and replied, "I got hung up in traffic this morning on the bridge. I wanted to be here an hour ago but some yo-yo decided to try to pass someone and ended up hitting a tractor-trailer head-on. I'll be surprised if the driver even survives."

Leatherneck shook his head, "I don't understand people these days. Everyone's in a rush to go nowhere. Since you weren't here waiting for me this morning, I had Andy take your car over to get washed. I figured you'd want her all sparkling clean."

Lee chuckled, "I appreciate that. It's weird. Since Amanda got hurt, I've been driving her car more than the loaner and I don't know…I almost didn't miss driving it." Leatherneck raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I said almost," Lee stated then added, "I'm glad to have her back though. I've promised the boys I would take them down to the track one day and let them come for a ride while I open her up. It's been a while, I'm sure the engine could use it."

Leatherneck nodded in agreement, "Yeah, every fuel injected engine needs to be opened up good once in a while. Sounds like a fun day with the boys."

"I know Philip will like it but I'm not so sure about Jamie. But I guess it can't hurt," Lee admitted.

"Just think, it won't be long before the boys will be looking for their own cars. You're going to need a good body guy if they drive anything like you," Leatherneck teased.

"Very funny. Actually, I think I want to try to find Amanda's mother a car first. The boys have a few years to go before we have to consider that," Lee explained.

"Mrs. West? You're going to get her a car?" Leatherneck asked, surprised. He folded his arms and sat back against the hood of an older blue sedan riddled with bullet holes.

Lee nodded in affirmation, "I just think it would be easier if she had her own car. That way we don't need to juggle cars every day. The only thing is Amanda's worried if we can afford to add another car to our budget. You know, before her I never even thought about a budget."

Leatherneck smiled, "Well, welcome to the world of real people, Scarecrow."

Lee chuckled and said, "I never thought this would be my life, but I wouldn't change it for the world. So, Leatherneck in your professional opinion, what would you say would be the best car for Dotty? She's only been driving for a few years."

"Well, that would explain the basketball hoop in the passenger seat then," Leatherneck laughed loudly.

Lee shook his head, "That wasn't entirely her fault. She's never driven the Vette before and thought she had it in park."

"Uh huh," Leatherneck grunted. "Well, if I see anything decent, I'll let you know. We get cars in here all the time the agency can't use so we send them out for auction."

"Thanks, Leatherneck! I'm not sure how much I should spend on it though," Lee sighed.

Leatherneck nodded in understanding, "Tell you what. How about I take you to the next auction with me. That way we can figure out what cars are moving for and you can set your top price. Amanda can't argue with that one."

Lee smiled, "That sounds like a great idea. I'll tell Amanda to set the budget and we'll find something that fits with adding a car payment to it." He clapped Leatherneck on the shoulder and added, "Thanks, pal. I owe you one."

Leatherneck grinned, "That's ok, Ace. Let's say dinner at your place again will call it even."

"You got it!" Lee exclaimed.

They were distracted by the sound of the Vette roaring around the corner. The car stopped a few feet from Lee and the driver climbed out quickly. Lee glared at him. "Mr. Stetson! I didn't see you there!" Andy Murphy cried when he saw the angered look on Lee's face.

"Don't you think you were going a little fast around that corner?" Lee snapped. He immediately began an inspection of the car for any new damage that may have occurred by the seemingly reckless Murphy.

"No, sir. I mean, maybe a little, sir," Andy stammered. He tossed the keys at Leatherneck and crept away to another corner of the garage.

Lee finished his inspection and turned to Leatherneck, "I don't see any damage so either he's damn lucky or he's a better driver than I gave him credit for."

Leatherneck ran his hand along the roof's edge of the Vette, "Murphy's all right. He's a damn good mechanic and he runs rally races on the weekend so I bet he's a good driver too."

Lee wiped an imaginary smudge off the hood with his sleeve, "Rally races, huh? Locally?"

"I think so. I know he's in a club of some kind that's been running these races every weekend all summer for the last few years. They've got a few locations they rotate through. He spends most of the winter getting his car ready for it," Leatherneck explained.

Lee thought for a moment then called out, "Hey, Murphy, come here!"

Andy looked up nervously. He slowly made his way back to where Lee and Leatherneck stood. "Yes, Mr. Stetson?"

"Do you have any more of those races coming up?" Lee asked, surprising the young agent.

Andy nodded, "Yes, we have the final one of the season this weekend. It's up by Bluemont, Snickerville's Turnpike. We start on the pike, cut through a couple of farms and end up back on the pike again for the finish."

"Is it open to the public…for watching I mean?" Lee asked, immediately thinking of an afternoon with the boys.

"Sure is. They charge a small admission fee but you can pick anywhere along the course to watch from. There's one spot where you can see most of the race," Andy said excitedly.

"Can you write down the information? Maybe I'll bring the boys by this weekend," Lee nodded.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Stetson. I sure can!" Andy replied excitedly. He jogged across the garage and disappeared into the small office. He reappeared several minutes later, a smile plastered across his face, a piece of paper in his hand. "Here you go. The race starts at noon on Saturday."

Lee accepted the paper and tucked it into his back pocket. He took his keys from Leatherneck and announced, "I should get going. Billy's called for a meeting today at noon. I guess there's been some activity in the latest terrorist cell out of Djibouti."

"Djibouti? Is that new?" Leatherneck asked.

"Intel's been leaking out the last few months. Some new fascist movement. Mercenaries were caught running guns across the Gulf of Aden a few weeks ago," Lee informed him.

"Aden? But I thought we had a post over there?" Leatherneck asked.

"We did, but a few years ago the military pulled out. The official reason…. Somali armed forces weren't up to par. Now it looks like someone is using the base to run weapons," Lee explained.

Leatherneck exhaled, "Well, hopefully, your feet will stay planted on American soil for now. I can't see Mrs. Stetson being all that happy about you heading over there."

Lee tossed his keys gently in his hand before pulling the door handle upward. "No worries about that. I've already told Billy, local only. No more running around the world at the drop of a hat."

"Good luck with that, Ace," Leatherneck laughed as Lee slipped into the driver's seat and started the engine. With a slam of the door, Lee gunned the motor and backed out of the garage, then drove away.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The remainder of the week passed quietly. Each day, Amanda had fewer headaches and thanks to Dotty constantly feeding her, the nausea surpassed as well. Lee spent Saturday afternoon with the boys watching the race while Dotty and Amanda went out shopping, a much-needed break for Amanda. Andy had time before his race started to show Lee and the boys the vantage point, he had mentioned at the garage. Philip couldn't wipe the smile off his face as the cars sped past, each one seemingly faster than the previous one. Jamie asked questions about the different cars until finally, Lee had to admit he didn't know much about how the size of the engines impacted the power and force on the turns and different surfaces of the race track. Once the race concluded, Lee promised the boys he would take them to the track one afternoon after school. Later that evening, Lee and Amanda settled into bed, "Sweetheart, I think it's official," she said softly.

"What's that?" Lee asked, adjusting his arms around Amanda as she rested her head on his chest.

"You've become a great dad without even trying," Amanda explained.

Lee pulled back so he could see her face, "What makes you say that?"

Amanda lifted her head to look at him. She smiled and whispered, "Because you've learned how to make the boys as happy as you make me."

Lee shook his head slowly, "Amanda, I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," she said huskily before kissing his lips and running her hands across his chest lovingly.

Lee responded instinctively, immediately deepening the kiss. He pulled away, breathless and scanned her face for any hesitation. "You sure you're feeling up to this?"

Amanda kissed him once more before stating, "I'm feeling better than I have in weeks. Now, where were we?"

"Right about here," Lee whispered as he pulled her into his arms. He made love to her slowly and tenderly, her cries of pleasure encouraging him. He held her as she shattered in his arms before succumbing to his own release.

Monday morning, Amanda was awake and dressed before Lee was out of the shower. She made breakfast for the boys and much to Lee's chagrin, handed him a plate with his coffee when he found her in the kitchen. "Oh, I'm so glad you're feeling better, Dear!" Dotty exclaimed loudly.

"Yeah, Mom, I don't know about Jamie, but I was getting nervous," Philip admitted.

Amanda kissed her boys before reassuring them, "Well, it was just a matter of time. I haven't had a headache for a few days, my stomach is feeling much better, so stop worrying about me."

"I'm your mother, I'm supposed to worry," Dotty stayed firmly before adding, "Don't overdo it today, Amanda."

"Mother! I won't, I promise," Amanda assured her. She followed Lee to the garage and climbed into the passenger seat of the Vette.

Lee slid into the seat beside her with a smile announcing, "Let's go to work." An hour after they arrived, Lee was called to Billy's office for an emergency meeting.

"Amanda!" Francine exclaimed as she entered the Q Bureau. "What are you doing here?"

Amanda looked up from her desk with a smile, "Well, good morning to you too, Francine."

Francine closed the door behind her and dropped the file folders she was carrying onto a free space on Lee's desk. "I thought you were still home recovering," Francine stated.

"No, I'm feeling much better. Besides, it's been almost two weeks since I was hurt, and I haven't had a headache in a few days. I figured I could help Lee with some of these files on his desk," Amanda pointed to the rapidly growing pile of files that needed to be organized.

"Well don't let Lee make you do all the work. You don't want to do too much," Francine insisted.

Amanda frowned, "Why is everyone so worried about me doing too much?"

Francine stood and crossed from Lee's desk to stand beside Amanda's. Hesitantly she placed her hand on Amanda's shoulder and stated, "Because we know you, Amanda and we all know sometimes you don't stop until…" Her voice faded as she thought back through the months after Amanda had been shot. She had watched Amanda fight to get stronger and return to work much earlier than anyone else had anticipated. "Well, I know you're stronger than anyone gives you credit for but be careful," she added.

Amanda stood and gave Francine a hug, "Thank you. I appreciate that, especially coming from you. And if it makes you feel any better, I just got off the phone with my regular doctor, Dr. Goodman and he had me make a follow-up appointment for tomorrow morning."

"Good. I'm sure Doc Kelford will be happy to hear that too. He's always going on and on about how we should have our own doctor and how we shouldn't rely on the Agency to provide us with medical care," Francine smiled. "But, enough about that! I know Lee is going to be down with Billy for a few more hours so how about I take you out for a bite to eat."

"What's going on?" Amanda asked in a solemn voice.

Francine shook her head, "Nothing you need to worry about. Billy's going through Lee's list of contacts in the Middle East to see if he can get confirmation about the reports that we have been getting regarding a new terrorist cell."

"A new terrorist cell? Lee's contacts in the Middle East?" Amanda repeated. "You don't think Lee's going to have to-"

"No! Billy's not going to send him over there! Don't you worry!" Francine cut her off.

Amanda sat slowly back into her seat, shaking her head in disbelief, "But you don't know that. You can't know that for sure."

Francine sat on the edge of Amanda's desk and covered her hands, "I do know! Billy will not send him over there, not now. Lee's already put in his request for homeland assignments only. Billy's not going to risk sending him in the biggest hotbed of terrorist activity now."

"Francine, I know how things work. If Lee is needed, they will-" Amanda began but Francine stopped her again.

"They will NOT send him. Dr. Smyth has made a point that Lee is not going. He needs him here, in DC, not on the ground in Djibouti!" Francine snapped.

"Dr. Smyth? Why would he care if Lee was here or over there?" Amanda groaned, confused.

"Well, Mrs. Stetson, Scarecrow is much more valuable to our country here than he is halfway across the world," Dr. Smyth explained as he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Hello, Sir," Amanda automatically replied when she saw him.

"Dr. Smyth, I have to say I'm surprised to see you up here," Francine stated.

Dr. Smyth looked from Francine's stern face to Amanda's sad, frightened one. "I came up to see how Mrs. Stetson was feeling. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not entirely heartless," he stated.

Amanda exhaled loudly, fighting tears that threatened to fall. She inhaled once more before she replied, "Thank you, Dr. Smyth. I'm feeling better, but this whole thing with Djibouti…." She was distracted as Lee stepped into the office.

"Dr. Smyth, Billy asked me to find you. He just got word from my contact, Arvio, that there's a shipment moving tomorrow. He gave us the coordinates of the rendezvous point for pickup," Lee explained. He looked at Amanda's face and instantly knew something was wrong. She was pale, her hands were trembling slightly, and she looked as if she was going to cry any moment. "Amanda? What's wrong?" he asked, moving to her side. "Are you feeling sick again? A headache? I knew you shouldn't have come in today!"

Amanda shook her head defiantly, still fighting the tears, "I'm fine. I'll be fine. But this whole thing… Lee, is Billy sending you to Djibouti?"

"No. I told you that before," Lee insisted.

"And I told her that too!" Francine interjected.

"Well, Scarecrow, I hate to say it, but I said the same thing. Apparently, the missus here doesn't believe any of us. Since it sounds like you need to have a conversation to clarify things, I'll take that as my cue to leave. I'll tell Melrose you'll be down in a bit," Dr. Smyth sounded almost sympathetic. He opened the door but paused long enough to add, "But don't be too long. We don't have all day." He left without another word.

Francine followed behind him but not before reminding Amanda, "That offer for lunch is still on. I'll be in the bullpen when you're ready to go." She disappeared into the hallway, closing the door behind her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Lee sat on the edge of Amanda's desk, staring at her. He was unsure what more he could say to get her to calm down. After Francine and Dr. Smyth left, he spent ten minutes explaining the meeting with Billy, trying to assure Amanda he wasn't going to be sent to the Middle East, but she kept insisting it was going to happen. Once the tears started flowing, Lee was at a total loss. Amanda's tears frightened him more than anything else. "Amanda, please, believe me. I'm not going. Billy is not going to send me. I've done all I can do right here," Lee tried once more.

Amanda lifted her head, with her tear-stained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes, and whispered, "You're sure?"

Lee dropped his head back and looked at the ceiling, exasperated. "Yes, I'm sure. I've been telling you this for the last ten minutes. I'm not going. I gave Billy all the intel my contact gave me and he's sending that information to our troops over there."

Amanda sniffled, brushed the tears off her cheeks and took a deep breath. She looked up at him and smiled weakly, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I just panicked at the idea that Billy was sending you over there."

Lee shook his head, "That doctor in the ER did say you may experience some issues with your mood or behavior so maybe this is another side effect."

"I don't know. I made an appointment with Doctor Goodman for tomorrow morning. It's been a while since I've had a check-up…well, since I got back from California," Amanda explained. "I'll tell him what's going on, how I've been feeling."

Lee looked at her, confused, "What do you mean how you've been feeling? Amanda, is there something you aren't telling me?"

Amanda wiped her eyes once more, exhaled and said, "I've just felt…off. And I know it's probably from the concussion, but something's not right. I just can't put my finger on what it is."

"Why didn't you say anything to Doc Kelford last week?" Lee questioned her.

"Because… because… Oh, I don't know why!" Amanda exclaimed. "Maybe because of the same reason you don't like being down there with him. I didn't want to be there for hours on end, getting poked and prodded all afternoon."

"A-man-da!" Lee groaned. "If something's wrong, then you should have told him. Or in the very least, told me! You know how worried I've been about you."

Amanda pursed her lips, her temper beginning to rise, "Well stop worrying! I didn't say anything was wrong. I just said I feel like something's not right. I'm off, plain and simple."

"Okay, okay," Lee held his hands up. "Now, I have to run back down to finish this meeting with Billy and Dr. Smyth. From the sounds of things, I think you have a lunch date with Francine?"

"I guess I do!" Amanda snapped. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily before she said, "I'm sorry. Yes, Francine asked if I wanted to head out to get something to eat. Maybe something to eat will help."

Lee smiled weakly, took her hands in his, and said, "Amanda, if you're not up to it, I'll take you home and come back. Billy and Dr. Smyth and Djibouti will just have to wait."

Amanda shook her head and patted his hands. "No, I'll go down with you. You finish your meeting. It sounds like they may need your help getting to the bottom of things."

"Are you sure? I can take you home or I can have Francine drive you home…" Lee let the suggestion hang in the air.

Amanda stood, placed her purse over her shoulder and stated, "Maybe I'll ask Francine to take me home after lunch. If she doesn't mind."

Lee stepped aside and opened the office door to find Leatherneck standing there, hand poised, ready to knock. "Hey, Ace! I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I came up to tell you I just got word on a car auction this Thursday if you're interested," Leatherneck smiled at Lee.

Lee glanced over at Amanda, now staring at him with one eyebrow raised. "Yeah, about that. Can I get back to you on that one? I'll give you a call, say Wednesday…to confirm," he stuttered as he turned back to Leatherneck.

"Um, sure. I just thought after our conversation yesterday about buying a car for Mrs. West, you'd be pretty excited an auction came up so quick," Leatherneck replied, confused.

Lee gently pushed Leatherneck back and began closing the door as he muttered, "I am. I'll let you know." He turned back and looked at Amanda, now standing with her arms folded. "I was going to tell you about that," he said sheepishly.

"I'll catch you later, Ace," Lee heard Leatherneck mutter through the now closed door.

"Lee! I thought we already said buying a car for Mother was going to wait?" Amanda questioned him.

"We did, well, you did. But I was talking to Leatherneck yesterday and-" Lee stammered.

"And what?!" Amanda snapped loudly. "You thought you could just run right out and buy her a car without telling me?"

"No, no it's not like that!" Lee insisted. He immediately felt like one of the boys getting scolded by Amanda for doing something wrong.

Amanda stepped toward the door angrily. "Well, don't let me ruin all your fun! I'll have Francine drive me home, thank you very much!"

Lee put his hands on her shoulders to stop her. "Amanda! Stop! Just stop!" he commanded loudly. She stood still, glaring at him, her eyes flashing angrily. "Listen, Leatherneck told me about these car auctions that they have. He said you can get a good car for a decent price, much less than if we got it from a dealer. I wasn't going to buy anything. I was just going to check it out. That's all," he explained calmly.

"That's all?" Amanda squeaked. "You were just going to check it out?"

Lee slowly nodded, "Yes, nothing more. I just haven't had a chance to tell you about it. I didn't even know one was going to come up this fast."

Amanda sighed and dropped her eyes, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I should have known…"

"Yes, you should have known," Lee interjected.

"I should have known you wouldn't just go out and make an expensive purchase like that without talking to your wife about it first," Amanda finished.

Lee groaned, "Amanda, I told you I wasn't going to do anything you didn't want to do. That includes buying a car for your mother. Even though…" He paused when Amanda raised her head, her eyebrows raised high once again. "Even though we both agreed it would make things much easier for all of us, I still wouldn't do that without talking to you first."

"You're sure?" Amanda asked, lowering her eyebrows.

Lee leaned forward, kissed the tip of her nose and whispered, "Yes, I'm sure." He hugged her close before asking, "You ready to go down and meet up with Francine?" Amanda relaxed in his arms and nodded against his shoulder. She leaned back and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Before she released him, Amanda whispered against his shoulder, "I'm sorry. You know I trust you and I love you, right?"

Lee kissed the top of her head and replied, "I know you do. And I know you've had a lot going on too. And most of all, I love you too, Mrs. Stetson."

Amanda let her arms slide down as she released him. She smiled as she grasped his hand and together, they descended the stairs then rode the elevator down several floors. They walked into the bullpen and separated, Amanda heading straight to Francine's desk and Lee to Billy's office. "You ready to go?" Amanda asked as she watched Lee knock then open the door before disappearing inside.

"Yeah, let me get my purse," Francine reached into her bottom drawer before standing. "Where would you like to go?"

Amanda returned her attention to her friend, "Anywhere is fine. Would you mind bringing me home after? Lee's going to be here a while and we only took one car today."

Francine smiled, "That's fine. I think there's a new restaurant not too far from your house I'd like to try. I read a review for it in the paper this morning. A new take on Asian fusion they said, whatever that means!"

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it will be fine. Thank you, Francine," Amanda said quietly as they walked into the hall toward the elevator.

In Billy's office, Lee had a plan. "We've got to shake Djibouti up!" Lee exclaims.

"We've got to what!?" Billy's head snapped upward.

Lee shook his head enthusiastically, "You heard me! We need to shake Djibouti up a bit. Send in the troops, disrupt their transport lines."

Billy closed his eyes, "That's what I thought you said." He opened his eyes and stared at the map on the wall beside him.

"Scarecrow's right. We need to put a kink in their supply chain," Dr. Smyth agreed from his position on the couch. "If we can cause just a little bit of chaos now, it will have a ripple effect on the future."

Lee blinked several times, processing what he had just heard. "So, how do you supposed we go about this plan?" Billy voiced.

Lee pointed to a few locations on the map. "If we get a few men on the ground here and here, infiltrate the cell using Arvio's crew, we could get full intel on the shipments, and the current chain of command from the inside. No more guessing games," he stated firmly.

"Well, Scarecrow, it sounds like you have just secured yourself your first international covert op," Dr. Smyth announced.

"My first what?" Lee asked.

"You will be first in command for this operation," Dr. Smyth informed him.

Lee looked at Billy, confused. "First in…Billy, what is he talking about?"

Billy stood slowly, leaned forward and explained, "While you were getting things straightened out with Amanda upstairs, Dr. Smyth and I both agreed this should be your show. It's your contact over there, you have a better understanding as to what's happening than anyone else."

"But Billy, that's usually…I'm not…" Lee stammered, at a loss for words.

"Administrative One. No, but this is one step closer to it," Billy explained. "It keeps you here, without question, but you'd be in charge of a small crew for starters."

"I don't understand," Lee admitted.

Dr. Smyth stood, removed the cigarette holder from his mouth and said, "There's not much more to understand. You're too valuable an asset to this Agency now."

Lee narrowed his eyes, "Why now? Why all of a sudden am I so valuable?"

"Because I've been going over every case you've worked on for the last five years,

Scarecrow. You have more contacts, more knowledge and know more secrets than any other agent out there right now. Not to mention your close rate is now near perfect since you've paired up with Mrs. King…Mrs. Stetson. Next to Billy here, you're one of the best agents this Agency has ever had. We want to keep you around a little bit longer," Dr. Smyth stated smugly.

Lee clenched his jaw, the muscle twitched wildly for a moment before he said, "And a year ago Amanda and I were public enemy number one."

"And that was my mistake. I looked a gift horse in the mouth, not realizing it was more of a Trojan Horse," Dr. Smyth admitted.

Billy stood, offered his hand to Lee and said, "The position is all yours if you want it that is."

Lee took his hand slowly and shook it as he said, "If it's going to keep me close to home, I'll take it."

Billy held tight to Lee's hand as he looked him in the eye and asked, "And Amanda's going to be okay with this?"

Lee smiled at his friend, "She's going to be just fine."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Lee?!" Jamie yelled as he ran into the kitchen, the basketball in his hands. "Lee?" he called again.

Amanda lifted her head from the pillow she was resting on. "What's up, Jamie?"

"Mom! I didn't know you were home. I saw Lee's car here, but your car is gone. I wanted to see if Lee wanted to play basketball now that Dad fixed the hoop," Jamie explained.

"Your dad fixed the hoop? When?" Amanda asked confused.

Jamie leaned on the doorway, the basketball resting on his hip. "While you and Lee were at work this morning, Dad fixed it," Jamie explained. "So, where's Lee?"

Amanda pushed herself up fully into a sitting position and yawned. "I asked Lee to pick up a few new trash barrels and some rakes at the hardware store," she explained.

"Oh," Jamie groaned dejectedly. "I don't even have any homework tonight. I finished it all in study hall and since it's nice out I thought maybe Lee and I could shoot some hoops before Philip came home."

"Where is Philip?" Amanda asked, confused.

Jamie dropped onto the couch beside Amanda, "He's over at Jimmy Cardiman's working on their science project. They have to finish it and write a full report by Friday. Jimmy's mom offered to help them."

Amanda leaned to the side and dropped her head on his shoulder as she listened to him to talk. "What is their experiment?"

"They have to build a bridge out of toothpicks and glue that can hold up to a hundred pounds. Jimmy's mom is an architect so she said she could help," Jamie explained.

Amanda smiled warmly, remembering just over a week ago Jimmy sat in their kitchen, in tears. "Is Jimmy getting along better with his mom?" she asked quietly.

She felt Jamie shrug his shoulders. "I think so. I'm not really sure. Philip mentioned something last night about it," he muttered. Before he could say anything else, he heard the garage door opening. "Lee's home! I'm going to go help him!" Jamie scrambled off the couch, knocking Amanda to the side with his sudden movement.

Amanda couldn't help but laugh as she listened to Jamie race to the garage door to help Lee. "Lee! You need any help?" she heard him ask as soon as the car door was open. As she sighed happily, she pushed herself off the couch, and stopped into the bathroom before wandering into the kitchen to start making dinner. She was just pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator when the door opened and Lee stepped into the kitchen. "Hey there."

Lee stepped close and kissed her check, "How long has Jamie been waiting for me?"

"Not too long. He was hoping you'd shoot some hoops with him," Amanda stated as she began to peel carrots.

Lee made a face as he replied, "Shoot hoops? I haven't had time to fix the hoop yet."

Amanda smiled and informed him, "Joe fixed it while we were at work today."

"Joe?" Lee sounded surprised.

"Yup. That's what Jamie said," Amanda confirmed. "We'll have to call and thank him."

Lee leaned on the counter and said, "I don't know what to say. I mean, don't you think it's odd he came over here to fix the basketball hoop when I'm more than capable of doing it myself?"

Amanda rubbed his shoulder as she said, "I think he was just trying to help. He probably thought I was still home and figured he-"

"Figured he could do something he didn't think I could do. Admit it, Amanda, Joe thinks I can't handle this kind of stuff," Lee snapped, suddenly annoyed.

Jamie entered the room as Lee was talking and added, "Actually, Lee, Philip told Dad how busy you've been doing other things for us like the fire pit and the fort that Dad thought he could give you a hand with the hoop, but you weren't here. Didn't you get the message Philip left saying Dad was coming over?"

Lee lifted his head and asked, "No, what message? I didn't get any message."

Jamie crossed the kitchen and picked up the pad of paper that was resting against the small chalkboard. "Right here, I guess he forgot to tell you, but he did write it down," Jamie handed him the paper with Philip's scratchy handwriting on it clearly stating Joe was coming that morning.

Lee read the paper and groaned loudly. "I guess I need to call Joe and thank him for fixing the hoop then," he admitted. He reached for the phone and called the number clearly written on a notecard attached to the chalkboard. "Joe, hey it's Lee. Listen I'm sorry we weren't here this morning. I just got your message now. Yeah, Amanda's feeling better so we went into work for a while this morning. Thanks for fixing that hoop. Do I owe you anything for materials or anything? Are you sure? Thanks, Joe." Lee looked over at Amanda gesturing for the phone. "Hang on, I think Amanda wants to talk to you."

"Hi, Joe! Thanks a lot for doing that. Lee's been so busy and well, with my concussion I haven't been up to doing anything. Are you sure we don't owe you anything for doing that? How about you and Carrie come over for dinner tomorrow night as a thank you. Great! We'll see you then," she said cheerfully. "What was that? You want Lee and the boys to cook. I'm sure we can arrange that. All right, we'll see you both tomorrow night then. Bye now." She replaced the phone on the receiver and said, "See, Joe understands. He was just trying to help."

"Who was trying to help?" Dotty asked as she entered the kitchen. She stopped to kiss Amanda on the cheek, "How are you feeling, Darling?"

"I'm feeling fine, Mother. A little tired, but fine. Joe came by this morning and fixed the basketball hoop," Amanda replied as she proceeded to finish peeling the carrots.

Dotty nodded and took a glass from the cabinet. "Of course, Joe came by to fix the basketball hoop. He left a message on Sunday with Philip saying he would be here this morning at ten. I have to say, I was very surprised you weren't here to meet him, Lee," Dotty stated.

Lee held up the handwritten message, "You mean this message? I didn't get it, otherwise I would have told Joe we had to work this morning. But you know what, what's done is done. And speaking of work, I have some good news." Lee smiled at Amanda as he stated, "I was given a promotion of sorts today."

"Oh really, Sweetheart?" Amanda asked, her face lit up.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly how to describe it but it does mean we don't have to travel on locations quite as often and we definitely don't have to travel overseas unless we choose to," Lee smiled widely, his dimples deep.

Amanda looked surprised. "Did Dr. Smyth have anything to do with that?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, he did," Lee confirmed with a nod.

"That's wonderful news, Lee! I'm not really sure what it all means but we should celebrate with a special dinner, just for you!" Dotty exclaimed. She looked at the ingredients on the counter, "Amanda, what are you making for dinner?"

Amanda smiled again, "I was making the baked chicken the boys like with roasted potatoes and glazed carrots."

"Mmmmm, that sounds delicious," Lee hummed.

Dotty rolled her eyes as she stated, "Amanda, can't you make something to celebrate Lee's news? Not the boys favorite dish!"

Lee laughed as he replied, "Actually Dotty, I can't think of a better meal. I'm glad Amanda's feeling better." He leaned close and brushed his lips across her cheekbone. "We'll talk about it more later," he whispered just before he reached in and snuck a piece of cut carrot. Amanda gently slapped his hand away with a giggle.

"Well, if you say so!" Dotty exclaimed. "I'm going to bring these things upstairs," she stated as she took her coat and her purse along with several shopping bags and headed toward the stairs.

"Mother! What did you buy? It looks like you've bought half the store!" Amanda teased.

Dotty swung the bags and laughed, "Just a few things for my upcoming weekend with Curt."

"You and Curt seem pretty serious," Lee pointed out.

Dotty bobbed her head side to side, shrugged her shoulders and said, "Lee, you have to have fun. Life is too short not to have fun. Curt and I enjoy each other's company, we have fun together. I don't know if I'd call it serious."

"Well where are you two off to this time, Mother?" Amanda asked with a chuckle.

"I'm not really sure. Curt wanted to surprise me. He just told me I needed a bathing suit, a sundress and sandals," Dotty explained. "So, I went down to that little boutique, 'Summer Forever', and found everything there on sale!"

Lee began to speak but was interrupted when the phone rang. "Hello? Sure, Philip, I can pick you up at Jimmy's. In an hour? That's great timing. Jamie wanted to shoot some hoops and… Yes, it's okay. Your dad came by and fixed the hoop even though I didn't get the message. No, you're not in trouble. What was that? Yes, your mother is feeling better and she's starting to make dinner. I'll be there in an hour," Lee said. He hung up the phone and smiled, before he took the bags from Dotty and stated, "How about I take these up to your room and you help Amanda make dinner? Jamie and I can shoot baskets for a while then, I'll take him with me to go pick up Philip."

Amanda smiled back at Lee as she answered, "I think that sounds like a great plan, Sweetheart."

"Tonight is all about family," Lee declared with a dimpled smile.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 **

**This chapter rated NC-17. If you are under 18 or are not comfortable please move to the next chapter.**

Lee stepped out of the bathroom, a towel slung low around his hips, rubbing his hair with a smaller towel. Amanda had just started putting away the clean laundry as Lee finished his shower before bed. "Amanda, are my blue pants in there?" Lee asked.

"Right here, Sweetheart," she smiled before tossing the pants in his direction. They fell a few steps short and Lee had to bend down to pick them up, holding onto the towel around his waist. The smaller towel slipped off his shoulder and he groaned aloud as he reached down to pick it up. "What's the matter? Are you having a tough time over there?" Amanda teased.

"Very funny. If you had given me two more steps I would have caught them in the first place," Lee groaned.

Amanda turned to the bureau and put away several T-shirts before asking, "T-shirt?" She turned to hear his reply, her breath catching in her throat when she realized Lee was standing, completely naked now, on one foot, balancing himself to step into his sleep pants.

Lee stopped moving when he heard her gasp and smiled, "You okay?"

"Uh huh," Amanda replied, unable to tear her eyes away from his bare chest and long, muscular legs.

Lee put his foot down and tossed his pants in the direction of the bed. He looked at his wife's face watching him hungrily. "You know, Amanda, we never finished our conversation tonight about my new position at work," he said softly, taking several steps toward her, closing the gap between them.

"No?" she replied, completely distracted. She turned back to the basket in her hands after she realized she had been staring at him and muttered, "What did Dr. Smyth have to say?"

Lee stepped behind her and pulled her nightgown-clad body against his naked one. He took the basket from her hip and lifted it onto the top of the bureau with one hand as he whispered, "Who cares?" He dropped his head and brushed his lips against the exposed skin on her neck. Amanda shivered in response.

"Is it cold in here?" she squeaked as anticipatory goosebumps covered her body.

"It's about to get hot in here. Think you can handle it?" Lee teased. He nipped at the sensitive skin just behind her ear, his breath hot.

Amanda leaned forward, her hands against the smooth wood, her hips tilting back against his hardened erection. "I don't think you could handle me tonight, Sweetheart," she teased back as she intentionally rocked her hips against him.

Lee swallowed hard and immediately grasped the hem of her cotton nightgown in one hand, using the other to pull her hips closer so he could grind his hips into hers. "Oh, really? Do you have something in mind, Mrs. Stetson?" he teased back. Amanda reached her arm up to cradle his head against her shoulder. She turned her face to his and kissed him slowly, savoring the taste of his lips on hers. She teased his tongue out with her own. Lee hummed happily as his hands circled her body, holding her tightly against him. Amanda gasped, breathless when their lips finally parted. "My God, you're beautiful," Lee whispered against her flushed cheek.

Amanda circled her hips, grinding against his, teasing Lee. He reached under her nightgown and found the waistband of her cotton panties, easily wiggling his fingers inside. Amanda sighed aloud as his fingers ventured lower, finding the soft curls at her apex, then lower still until he brushed them against the sensitive bundle of nerves. "Lee," she whispered. He didn't reply, he simply stroked her slowly using one finger. Amanda began to pant softly as he teased her skyward, administering gentle pressure as he stroked. She dropped her head, focusing on the feelings his fingers were creating in her core.

Lee grinned against the back of her neck and moved his fingers in a slightly faster rhythm. Amanda's hips immediately took on a life of their own, following his pace. Without warning, she reached behind and grasped his shaft in her hand. "Manda!" Lee gasped in surprise, but he continued to keep the same rhythm.

Amanda attempted to match him, a squeeze for a stroke, the power struggle lasting for only a minute. She finally released him with both hands and pushed her panties to the floor. "Please," she begged, balancing herself against the smooth hardwood in front of her, tilting her hips back toward him.

Lee whispered beside her ear, "Are you sure? Right here?"

"Now," Amanda commanded more forcefully, grinding her hips against his hardness. Lee didn't ask a second time, he aligned himself quickly and buried himself to the hilt. Amanda cried out loudly, "Oh!" and dropped her head, panting lightly. Lee pumped his hips several times, each time she responded with another cry until finally, she pushed him back with a loud, "Ouch!"

Lee immediately stopped moving, "Amanda? Did I just hurt you? I didn't mean to…I'm so sorry!" He turned her body to see her face.

"I'm okay. You didn't hurt me. Not really...I don't know…it was just…uncomfortable. I don't know why. I've never felt that before," Amanda admitted. She looked into his hazel eyes, completely filled with concern.

Lee pulled her against him in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry. If you're uncomfortable, we don't have to…" he began.

"If you think I'm stopping now, you are out of your mind, Buster," Amanda stated firmly with a grin.

Lee chuckled loudly, "Maybe we should move this to our bed then. Find a more comfortable position. But if it doesn't feel right, Amanda, we can-"

Amanda put her finger over his lips and said, "Don't even say it."

Lee smiled, scooped her up into his arms and carried her over to their bed. "Now, where were we?"

Amanda yanked her nightgown over her head, tossed it to the side and pulled him down. "Right about here maybe?" she whispered.

Lee settled himself on the bed, slightly to the side so all of his weight wasn't pressing down on her. He aligned his throbbing erection with her center and with a gentle thrust, ensconced himself to the hilt. He didn't move, he stayed perfectly still, concentrating on her heat enveloping him.

"Sweetheart," Amanda whispered. She hooked one leg around his, encouraging him to move. She lifted her hips slightly, creating her own stroke. She cried out in pleasure when his hardness found the sensitive area deep inside her body.

"Manda, I never thought being with someone… like this….could feel any better until I fell in love with you," Lee whispered in her ear. He pushed up onto one elbow and brushed her hair off her face. "I guess what they say is true. It's always better with the person you love."

"Oh, Lee," Amanda cried happily. She held his face as she kissed him deeply. "I love you," she breathed.

"And, I love you," Lee responded and he began a slow but steady pace with his body, paying attention to every moan and cry that escaped Amanda's lips as he pushed her higher and higher. Each time her pitch changed or her breathing altered, he would adjust himself slightly, silently praying he wasn't hurting her. When Amanda pushed his shoulder to indicate she wanted him on his back, he followed suit without a word. Her body told him what she needed, even if she didn't use the words.

Amanda straddled him and sunk down with a moan of ecstasy. She arched her back, pushing her small, rounded breasts toward him as she rolled her hips. Lee pushed up and captured one puckered peak between his lips, drawing a husky cry from Amanda's lips. He suckled the small, firm globe, and from Amanda's cries, he knew she was enjoying it. Amanda's body grew hotter and before long they were both covered in a glistening sheen of perspiration. Lee guided her onto her back for his final onslaught. He held her close as he pumped his hips in a steady rhythm, only breaking when she finally peaked. He muffled her cries with kisses, continuing to ride out her spasms until he found his own release. Her inner muscles fluttered and tightened around him, extending his orgasm until they both collapsed, exhausted.

Lee pulled Amanda into his arms, her head on his heaving chest. "Amanda, that was…I don't have words to describe what that was," he admitted.

"I felt it too, Sweetheart. I'm sorry if I ruined things before," Amanda replied sheepishly, thinking of how everything started by the bureau.

Lee lifted her chin to see her dark brown eyes staring back at him. "Amanda, if that was ruined, I'd hate to see what a perfect moment would be like," he teased. "But, I didn't hurt you again, did I? You feel all right?" he asked seriously.

"I feel better now," she admitted before hugging him close. "Now, let's get some sleep. I have that appointment with Dr. Goodman in the morning."

"Tomorrow morning? I have a meeting with Billy and Dr. Smyth. Let me see if I can reschedule for the afternoon," Lee stated.

Amanda shook her head, "No, I can go alone. I'll be fine. I've seen Dr. Goodman for years."

"Are you sure? I can reschedule," Lee insisted.

"I'm sure. I love you, I'll be fine," Amanda assured him before kissing his cheek and snuggling down against him. Just before she succumbed to sleep she heard him whisper, "I love you always, Amanda."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Amanda dropped the magazine onto the chair in the exam room when she heard the gentle rapping on the door. "Amanda!" Dr. Goodman called as he opened the door slowly.

"Hello, Dr. Goodman," she smiled back at him. She stood and gave the doctor a brief hug.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon. Is everything all right?" the doctor asked. He gestured at the exam table for Amanda to sit as he reached over and wheeled the stool to him. He sat down, placed her file folder on the small desk and waited.

Amanda looked down at her hands, suddenly nervous. She wasn't sure why. Dr. Goodman had been her primary care physician since before she and Joe got married. She took a deep breath and began, "I'm sure you got the hospital report about my concussion two weeks ago."

"I did and I have to say I was very surprised. I also received another report from a Dr. Kelford. A follow up he stated," Dr. Goodman informed her.

"Dr. Kelford is the Ag…IFF's doctor. Because it happened while I was working I had to be seen by him before I could come see you," Amanda rattled off, hoping he wouldn't catch her near slip.

Dr. Goodman nodded, "I can understand that. They want to cover all their bases. Too many people are lawyer happy these days." Amanda just smiled and shrugged her shoulders in response. "So, how are you feeling? Headaches still? Nausea?"

"No, the headaches seem to have stopped and my mother is constantly feeding me so the nausea stopped, too," Amanda explained.

"I have to say it was nice to see you've put on a few pounds since the last time I saw you, right after you got back from California. You were getting a little too thin, if you ask me. Speaking of California, how's that scar tissue healing?" Dr. Goodman switched topics quickly.

Amanda glanced down in the direction of her left shoulder, "It's all right. Mother's dermatologist suggested using Vitamin E lotion to keep the tissue soft. It seems to be working."

Dr. Goodman jotted down a few notes, "Well, I'll be the judge of that when I go through your full examination. Now what else seems to be troubling you?"

Amanda unconsciously gnawed on her thumbnail before answering. "I got married again recently. Just over a month ago," she announced.

"Well congratulations!" Dr. Goodman stood, raised his arms and hugged her again. "Who's the lucky fellow?"

Amanda smiled, immediately relaxing as she described Lee. "His name is Lee Stetson. He and I work together at IFF. He's wonderful with the boys. Um, his parents died when he was a little boy and he was raised by his uncle, the Colonel."

"Air Force?" Dr. Goodman asked.

"Yes, sir. Lee lived all around the world as a child," Amanda continued.

Dr. Goodman folded his arms and said, "That's a tough life. Was his uncle married at all?"

Amanda shook her head, "No. The Colonel never married. He is a career military man. And when I met Lee, he was living the high life of a bachelor. Dinner at expensive restaurants, night clubs, fancy parties at different embassies. Then we started working together and well, things changed."

"You mean, you changed him," Dr. Goodman laughed.

Amanda's mouth dropped open, "I wouldn't go that far."

"Amanda, I have known you since you were what, nineteen?" Dr. Goodman started. Amanda nodded in confirmation so he continued, "You have a knack…a gift…for seeing the good in everyone and bringing it out, too. I'm sure you worked your magic on him." He winked to punctuate his thought.

Amanda chuckled, shrugged her shoulders and said quietly, "Well, maybe I had a little bit to do with it."

Dr. Goodman patted her knee and insisted, "I'll bet you had a lot to do with it. So what else is going on? Sex life good?"

Amanda blushed immediately, remembering the night before. "Yes, it's fine."

"From that look on your face, I'm going to say it's more than fine. But I do have to ask the standard question. Are you in a safe relationship? He doesn't hurt you in any way?" Dr. Goodman's tone changed from teasing to serious.

"Oh, no! Lee could never hurt me. In fact, he wanted to come today because he's so worried about me. He's more worried now than he was after I got shot," Amanda insisted.

Dr. Goodman raised his head immediately, "What worries him more, now? I would think getting shot, being on the brink of death would scare anyone."

"It's just…I haven't been feeling myself," Amanda tried to explain.

Dr. Goodman furrowed his brow, "Care to elaborate on that?"

Amanda sighed, "Well, the concussion. The headaches, the nausea… I get all that. Then there have been…"

"Been what? Amanda?" Dr. Goodman prompted.

Amanda looked down at her hands again, "I just don't feel myself. I'm tired all the time. Mother keeps feeding me and giving me tea so I have to use the ladies room constantly. I even had to wake up in the middle of the night last night to go."

Dr. Goodman wrote down all the symptoms she was describing. "Any pain? When you go, I mean?"

"Not really. But last night when Lee and I were…well…when we were in the middle of…." Amanda stumbled over her words.

"Intercourse. It's okay, Amanda, you're a grown woman. Even married with two teenage boys, you're still allowed to have sex," Dr. Goodman teased with a wink.

"Well, I got uncomfortable. I mean, it hurt but it didn't hurt. Does that make any sense, Dr. Goodman?" Amanda looked up at him, her eyes wide.

Dr. Goodman nodded with a gentle smile, "It does. And I think I may know exactly what's going on but I'll need to run a few tests to confirm my suspicions. So first, I'm going to have Mary draw some blood then I'll need to get a urine sample. Think we can do that?"

Amanda laughed lightly, "I think I can handle that."

Dr. Goodman patted her knee once more, "Then I need you to get changed so I can give you a thorough exam while we wait for the quick tests to run." He pulled a johnny from the drawer on the side of the exam table. "I'll see you back in here, wearing that, in about ten minutes." He stood and left the room leaving the door ajar for the nurse.

"Amanda?" Mary, the nurse called as she pushed the door open. "Dr. Goodman asked me to draw some blood. And he asked me to give you this sample cup. The bathroom is just down the hall. You can leave the cup on the sink."

Amanda took the small plastic cup from her, "Thank you, Mary. Do you want to do the blood first or after?"

"Let's do it first, then you can get changed after you've used the facility," Mary decided. Amanda sat still as the nurse drew several vials of blood. She flinched once when Mary withdrew the needle and exhaled loudly when the nurse pressed the square of gauze on her arm. "You are all set," Mary declared as she taped the gauze down. Amanda stood quickly, immediately swaying on her feet. "Whoa, sit right back down. I'll get you some water," Mary gently commanded, helping Amanda back down onto the exam table.

"No, really, I'm okay. I just stood up too fast. I'll be fine, really," Amanda insisted. She stood slowly, and said, "See, I'm all right. Now, where's that ladies room again?"

Mary pointed down the hall and Amanda disappeared into the small room. She did as she was instructed, leaving the sample on the edge of the sink before returning to the exam room and changing into the blue flowered johnny on the table. She climbed onto the exam table and waited just a few minutes before Dr. Goodman returned.

"Okay, Amanda. Let me start by rechecking your blood pressure. It seemed a little low before, even low for you," Dr. Goodman explained. He put the cuff around her arm and watched the sphygmomanometer, raise slowly, then fall. "That looks a little better. Mary must not have had it tight enough. No worries. Now, let's take a listen." He listened to her heart and her lungs before he asked her to lay down so he could feel around her abdomen. "Tell me if anything hurts, all right, Amanda?"

Amanda nodded remaining quiet until he reached her lower abdomen. "Ouch, right there," she exclaimed, pushing herself up onto her elbows.

"Just as I suspected," Dr. Goodman stated. He offered her a hand to sit up and said, "I just need the results from the urine sample and then you can be on your way. You can get dressed now. I'll go check on Mary."

"Thank you, Dr. Goodman. I hope it isn't anything serious," Amanda admitted.

"I'll explain in a few minutes," he said as he slipped out of the room. Amanda got dressed quickly, and was just smoothing down her hair as the doctor walked back into the room holding a piece of paper.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Amanda dropped her purse and the bag from the pharmacy on the kitchen counter after entering the house. Dotty was sitting in the living room, reading a magazine. "What'cha reading, Mother?"

Dotty looked up, removed her glasses and said, "Do you know how many hidden messages there are in the music the boys listen to?"

Amanda couldn't help but chuckle, "Really? Any songs we know?"

Dotty donned her glasses and read from the magazine page, "'Better by you, better by me' by the group Judas Priest when played backward encourages the listener to 'try suicide', 'do it', and 'let's be dead'. This song was a cover of the original Spooky Tooth's song of the same name." Dotty dropped her glasses and blinked several times before she stated, "Amanda, what is going through the heads of the youth of today? I mean if they are listening to this... "

Amanda patted her shoulder and replied, "Well, I guess it's a good thing the boys can't play that song backwards, like the article says."

"That's not the point, Amanda! If they can put messages in music like that, who's to say they can't slip it into the regular music. How do we know we're not being flooded with… with…. With those…. subliminal messages every day?!" Dotty exclaimed waving her glasses around.

"Mother, I think the government might have some con-" Amanda tried to give her mother a reasonable explanation, but Dotty quickly cut her off.

"The same government that tried to say you and Lee were traitors too, huh? Really, Amanda, of all people in this world, you and Lee?" Dotty demanded.

Amanda smiled, leaned down and kissed her cheek as she said, "Well, it's a good thing that same government figured out they were wrong about us too, right?" She leaned on the back of the couch and changed the subject, "Have you heard from Aunt Lillian? Is she coming for Thanksgiving?"

Dotty smiled warmly, her rant temporarily forgotten, "Aunt Lillian is so excited to see the new house and spend more time with Lee. You better watch out, she might try to steal him away if you're not careful."

"Oh, Mother!" Amanda groaned. She stood slowly and announced, "I'm going to start making a list of everything we need for next week. And then we need to talk to Jamie about his birthday. It falls on a Saturday this year but that's the long weekend so I'm not sure who will be around."

Dotty shook her head, "Are you still planning birthday parties? Amanda, don't you think they're getting a little too old for that?"

Amanda smiled and stated, "You're never too old to celebrate with your friends, you know that. I just don't know what he wants to do this year."

"See if Lee has any ideas. I'm sure working at that film company all these years he's seen all kinds of interesting things," Dotty suggested.

"You know what, Mother, you might be right. And I'm sure Jamie would love any idea Lee gave him. I'm so glad he finally came around," Amanda smiled. At the mention of Lee, Amanda glanced into the kitchen and the room beyond and asked, "Is Lee upstairs?"

"No, I saw him head into the office carrying some papers. He didn't look too happy," Dotty informed her. She leaned close to Amanda and whispered loudly, " Did something happen with his new position already?"

"I don't think so, but I'll talk to him," Amanda said.

Amanda turned to walk back into the kitchen when Dotty called to her once more. "Amanda, how did your appointment with Dr. Goodman go?"

"It went fine, Mother. He figured out why I've been feeling off…and he reminded me to remind you you are overdue for your annual appointment," Amanda replied.

Dotty shook her head, "I am not overdue. I was just there to see him…" She stopped to think then realized, "I am overdue. I'll call first thing in the morning."

"Sounds good, Mother," Amanda called as she walked into the kitchen then continued on to the office where she found Lee, cradling his head in one hand, staring at a computer printout. "Hey, what's wrong? Did your meeting not go so well today?"

Lee shoved the paper away and smiled weakly at Amanda. "Hi. No, my meeting went fine," he exhaled.

Amanda walked around the desk and put her arm around Lee's shoulders. She lifted the paper off the desk and read the top line, "Lee? What is this?"

Lee put his arm around her waist and squeezed gently, "That is my itinerary for the next three days. I have to go to Boston."

"Boston? But I thought-" Amanda questioned.

"Don't worry, it's only Boston. There's a conference going on at the end of this week for The InterAgency War on Terror. Dr. Smyth is a keynote speaker and he's insisting Billy and I go with him. He thinks it will help with what's going on in Djibouti and my new position at the Agency," Lee assured her.

"And what is your new position? You never finished telling me last night," Amanda asked. She turned her body to sit on the edge of the desk, facing Lee.

Lee leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head. "How to explain this…you know how we have contacts all over the world and we use them to keep tabs on various cells of activity?"

"Yeah," Amanda nodded.

"My new position would be to co-ordinate all those contacts from one geographical area, specifically the Middle East, Djibouti, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the Sudan. I will help track and capture different terrorist cells all from the safety and security of DC," he explained. He moved his hand to rub her leg gently.

"That sounds pretty important," Amanda said. She captured his hand with hers, entwining their fingers together.

Lee squeezed gently, "I guess it is. But it also keeps me here, with you and the boys. Dr. Smyth couldn't remind me of that enough during our meeting today."

"Sweetheart, forgive me for asking but why the change of heart?" Amanda looked at him, her eyes wide.

"But I thought that's what you wanted? A way for us to stay close? No more running around the world at the drop of a hat?" Lee asked, confused.

"I do want that, I'm glad that's what this is. I mean Dr. Smyth? Why all of a sudden is he helping us?" Amanda questioned.

Lee nodded, squeezed her hand and said, "Because Dr. Smyth needs to know that at the end of the day, the job is going to get done." Amanda shook her head, confused. Lee sighed, "Dr. Smyth is thinking about retiring soon. He's built quite a reputation in the White House and he needs to know that the person that takes over for him is going to care as much as he does."

"I didn't think Dr. Smyth cared about anything, but Dr. Smyth," Amanda chuckled.

"I have to say, spending as much as I have with him the last two days, there's a different side to him. One I never expected to see," Lee admitted. "And he's the one that's been pushing for me to take this position. It's not a prelude to his job by any means, but he feels of all the agents out in the field right now, I have the most contacts that have had tips that paid off in a big way. He thinks I've built a network that's a step above anyone else's. And, he said I have the ability to see everything through from beginning to end without missing a beat."

Amanda smiled, rubbed his cheek and said, "I knew all along you were something special. It just took Dr. Smyth longer to figure that out."

Lee captured her hand, pulled it to his lips and kissed her palm. "Enough about my day. How was your appointment with Dr. Goodman?"

Amanda withdrew her hand and pressed both palms onto the edge of the desk, "My appointment was good. He figured out why I've been feeling so off lately."

"He did? You mean other than the concussion symptoms," Lee questioned. He placed his hands on her knees and looked at her face. "What's going on, Amanda?"

"You're never going to believe this. After blood tests and urine tests and a lot of poking and prodding, you know what he figured out?" Amanda rambled.

"What? Come on, the suspense is killing me," Lee urged her to continue.

Amanda chuckled, "Well, you can stop worrying about me. It's just a few simple issues that some vitamins and an antibiotic will take care of in no time."

"Vitamins? Antibiotic? Amanda, what did Dr. Goodman find?" Lee begged for an answer.

"Well, the blood tests showed I was anemic which explains why I've been so tired lately so Dr. Goodman told me to take iron pills to boost that. He also suggested a multivitamin every day. He said that can't hurt. Then he figured out I have a UTI and prescribed an antibiotic for that," Amanda explained.

"A UTI? I don't understand," Lee stated.

Amanda smiled once more, "A urinary tract infection. Somehow bacteria got into my bladder and it's having a field day. That explains all the extra trips to the bathroom for the last two weeks and then the… um… well, the uncomfortable feeling I had last night. Dr. Goodman said it could also be the reason I've had all that nausea and vomiting."

Lee watched her face carefully as she spoke and asked once more, "Are you in any pain? I thought those were painful."

"I'm all right, sweetheart. I'm not in any pain and Dr. Goodman assures me it's perfectly normal and it will clear up in a few days," she said.

"You're sure?" Lee asked once again.

"I'll be good as new in no time," Amanda insisted.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Jamie sat at the table, pushing the remaining bits of his dinner around the plate. "Mom, I was thinking about my birthday," he began softly.

Amanda took a long swallow of milk, placed her glass on the table and replied, "What are you thinking about, Sweetheart?"

Jamie shrugged his shoulders noncommitedly and dropped his fork on the plate with a clatter. "I'm not sure I want a party this year," he stated, his eyes still staring at the plate.

Lee wiped his mouth with his napkin and asked, "Why not? I thought you were looking forward to it."

"I don't know. I'm not sure I want…" Jamie's voice trailed off. He wasn't really sure what he wanted.

"Well, we still have time to talk about it," Amanda reassured him. She was a little sad, but she was doing her best to hide it.

Lee reached under the table and squeezed her knee supportively. He pressed his lips together tightly, then with a sideways glance at Amanda he announced, "I hope you boys have your homework finished because I have a surprise for you both tonight."

Jamie lifted his chin to look at Lee as Philip exclaimed, "For us? What's the plan, Stan?"

Lee chuckled and with another glance at Amanda, he replied, "We are going to a self-defense class tonight at my gym. I talked to the instructor and he's invited you boys to the beginner class. That is if you really want to go."

"What kind of self-defense class it is?" Jamie asked hesitantly.

Philip elbowed his brother roughly as he said, "Who cares! We'll learn how to hit, right Lee?"

"It's actually self-defense, so you'll learn how to defend yourself more than how to hit," Lee explained.

"Yeah, but shouldn't we know how to hit?" Philip countered drawing a laugh from both Lee and Amanda.

Amanda regained her composure as she said, "I think you should listen to Lee and the instructor and find out what it's all about."

Philip pushed his plate away and asked, "When do we leave?"

Lee looked at the clock and said, "We can leave in about ten minutes if you boys can get changed that fast. That will give us some time to talk to the instructor before class." Lee barely had the words out of his mouth when Philip stood quickly, jostling the table.

"What should I wear?" Jamie asked hesitantly. He still hadn't moved from his chair.

"Just wear something comfortable you can move in," Lee explained.

Jamie looked at Amanda and asked, "May I be excused?"

"Of course, Sweetheart. Go get changed and tell your brother what to wear, too," Amanda replied. He left the room slowly.

"Now, I'm thinking this wasn't such a good idea," Lee groaned. He began stacking plates and carrying them to the sink. He folded his arms across his chest and exhaled loudly.

Dotty stood, carried several glasses to the sink and reassured Lee, "I think you are overthinking this one. They will be fine when they get there, believe me. Sometimes, it takes a little bit to get them interested in something new, so just be patient."

Lee smiled weakly, "We'll see. I should probably get changed too." He left the room, leaving Amanda and Dotty alone.

"I don't know why Jamie doesn't want to have a birthday party this year?" Amanda pondered as she began rinsing the dishes and stacking them in the dishwasher.

"Well, he's getting older, Amanda. He's not a baby anymore," Dotty reminded her.

Amanda shook her head, "I know that Mother, I'm just surprised, you know. I'm wondering if all these changes really were too much for him."

Dotty put her hands on Amanda's shoulders and turned her away from the sink, "Amanda, he's fine, really. Now stop worrying. He's going to have a great time with Lee at this …this... "

"Self-defense class, Mother," Amanda supplied the words Dotty was looking for.

"Self-defense class, yes. You'll see! Mark my words!" Dotty exclaimed. She kissed Amanda's cheek before turning away to get the remaining dishes from the table.

Several minutes later, Lee, Philip, and Jamie climbed into Amanda's Jeep and drove to Lee's gym. He escorted the boys inside, greeting everyone with a smile or nod.

"Wow, Lee, this is your gym? It's so fancy!" Philip exclaimed.

Lee bobbed his head side to side trying to think what to say when they reached the studio door. "Lee! So these are your boys!" Master Chao announced loudly.

"Benny! Yeah, this is Jamie," Lee touched Jamie's shoulder, "And Philip. They're Amanda's boys."

"You boys ready for this?" Master Chao asked, looking from Philip's excited face to Jamie's hesitant one.

Philip nodded enthusiastically as he asked, "Are you gonna teach us how to hit?"

Lee chuckled loudly, "Let's let Master Chao explain the class when everyone else gets here."

"And you're going to help me, right, Lee?" Master Chao offered Lee his hand.

"If you want me too, sure I'll stay and help out," Lee agreed, shaking Master Chao's hand.

Jamie looked up at the two men, "Um, sir, will I be able to leave my glasses on? I won't be able to see very well without them, but if they get broken…"

"You can leave your glasses on, son, and we'll make sure they don't get broken," Master Chao assured him. "It looks like almost everyone is here so why don't you come inside and we can begin in a few minutes."

Lee found a spot on the mat where he gestured for the boys to sit down. He began stretching his legs while they waited for the remaining people to show up. As they waited, Master Chao explained how the class would work, and gave everyone a brief description of what they would cover during the evening session. Jamie listened closely, but nervously chewed on his bottom lip as he unconsciously rocked back and forth. Lee reached over and touched his arm, "Hey, Jamie, it's okay. You're going to be fine. Trust me." Jamie nodded nervously.

The last few people arrived and Master Chao announced class would begin. He first explained how everyone needed to respect their opponent and reminded everyone this was a self-defense course, not a martial arts class. "Aggressive behaviors will not be tolerated and anyone engaging in anything I deem unsafe will be asked to leave," Master Chao announced.

Philip leaned close to Lee and whispered loudly, "So I guess that means no hitting, huh." Lee put his finger to his lips to silence him before pointing back to Master Chao.

"The first thing we are going to learn is how to break a hold if we are ever attacked. We are going to go through a series of situations and by the end of class, you should have a better understanding of what to do," Master Chao explained. "Now, Mr. Stetson here is going to help with our demonstrations. We will begin with the basic release moves and graduate up one at a time."

He paired everyone off, separating Jamie and Philip. He paired Jamie off with a college student named Sam and Philip with a single mother named Karen. The first exercise he explained was how to handle someone grabbing the front of your shirt or jacket. He explained each release move slowly, Lee demonstrating with him. Once everyone mastered the first release, he moved onto a slightly more complicated variation.

Lee watched the boys out of the corner of his eye. Jamie settled in quickly to the pace of the class, analyzing each move, and much to Lee's surprise, perfecting his response. Lee had to suppress a laugh when Karen knocked Philip down then fell over him. They both stumbled, trying to help each other up. Jamie did laugh audibly and Philip shot him a nasty look, quickly sobering Jamie right up.

"Now, everyone seems to be progressing quite nicely this evening. It appears we have a good group of students so I'm going to teach you how to use your opponent's movement against them. Mr. Stetson, would you please lunge forward and try to grab my bag?" Master Chao asked, slinging a backpack over one shoulder. Lee did as he was asked, Master Chao, stepping to the side quickly, turning his body so Lee ended up flat on his stomach. "Well done, Mr. Stetson. Now, run toward me and try to knock me down, please." Again, Lee did as instructed only to have Master Chao grab his arm and flip him onto his back on the mat with a loud groan.

Philip laughed loudly as Lee struggled to get up and Master Chao stopped his movement by stepping on his lower back. "Philip, since you seem to find great amusement in watching Mr. Stetson, how about you give it a try," Master Chao challenged him.

Philip scrambled to his feet and stood beside the instructor. Master Chao picked another participant named Eric to join them. Philip was asked to take on the role of the victim first, copying Master Chao's movements with the backpack. "Piece of cake," Philip rolled his eyes. Eric lunged forward and before Philip realized what had happened, he was on the ground and the bag was in Eric's hands.

"Not so easy now, is it?" Master Chao pointed out. "Jamie, how about you give it a try?"

Jamie pointed to his chest and squeaked, "Me? Don't you think someone else should go?"

"No," Master Chao stated firmly. "You must try, Jamie. Come up beside me." Jamie did as he was told and hesitantly took the backpack. Master Chao pointed to another student, Timothy, a high school senior standing almost a head taller than Jamie.

Jamie looked up at the older boy then at Lee. Lee simply nodded and reminded him, "Use his size against him."

Jamie took two steps away to create space between them and when Master Chao barked, "Begin!" Jamie looked away from Timothy as if he was watching something else. Timothy began running and just as Master Chao had done before, Jamie grabbed Timothy's hand, flipping him onto his back. Jamie turned around, completely stunned. He made eye contact with Lee and was rewarded with a broad, dimpled smile and a sharp nod. Jamie offered Timothy his hand to help him up.

"Well done, Jamie. Now, let's try the other drill," Master Chao complimented him. This time, he chose Susanna, a girl about Jamie's size and age to try the avoidance drill. Again, Jamie didn't focus on his opponent but appeared to look away, only to do as he was instructed. He stepped aside quickly, spinning on one foot, using his hands to push Susanna to the mat. Master Chao nodded in Lee's direction before complimenting Jamie once more. Jamie sat back down only this time he was sitting a little taller than before, his fears of not doing well quickly abated. At the end of class, he thanked Master Chao before joining Lee and Philip in the corner.

"So, what did you think of the class?" Lee asked the boys.

Philip rubbed the mat with his foot as he said, "It was okay. I thought we were going to… you know… hit stuff."

"Lee, can I ask you a question?" Jamie pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"Sure, Jamie, what's on your mind?" Lee responded.

Jamie looked at Master Chao once more before looking back at Lee, "Do you think Master Chao would do that for my birthday? You know, like give a class for my friends?"

Lee couldn't hide the smile on his face as he said, "I think that can be arranged."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"How was the conference?" Amanda asked as Lee closed the door and slumped into the passenger seat. He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly, "Long."

"Well, let's get you home and into bed so you can get some rest," Amanda stated before pulling away from the curb. He didn't respond for several minutes so she glanced over, and Lee's eyes were still closed, his breathing even, indicating he was already fast asleep. When she pulled into the garage of their home, she shook him gently to rouse him, "Sweetheart, we're home." Lee barely opened his eyes, stumbled out of the car and into the house. Amanda got his bag out of the back of the Jeep and carried it inside after him. She dropped the bag near the stairs to the basement and followed him up the stairs. She found him sound asleep, face down on top of the comforter, his shoes still on his feet. She sat beside him on the bed and brushed an errant lock of hair off his face. She kissed his forehead, tugged his shoes off and covered him by folding the comforter over his body.

Amanda quietly left the room, engaging the latch on the door before she descended the stairs. The rest of the house was dark, everyone else was asleep. She took his bag into the basement and started the laundry before returning to the bedroom. She got another blanket from the closet and curled up on her side of the bed, falling asleep quickly.

Amanda woke early Saturday morning, her bladder screaming for relief. She stumbled into the bathroom muttering, "I thought this antibiotic was supposed to help." After relieving herself, she brushed her teeth. Just before leaving the bathroom, she was struck by a wave of nausea. She fought back the urge with a few sips of water before leaving the small room. Pulling her robe around herself, she shivered in the cool air of the house. "I guess it's time to turn on the heat," she mumbled. She checked the thermostat and shivered again when it only read sixty degrees. "Brrrr," she shuddered. She turned the heat up and headed down to the kitchen where she started the coffee and put a few slices of bread in the toaster before pouring herself a glass of cranberry juice. "Mother insists it will help," she announced to the empty room.

"Well, Dotty is pretty intuitive. I'll bet she's right," Lee spoke softly entering the room. He was still wearing the jeans and dress shirt he had arrived home in, now completely wrinkled. "Still not feeling well?" he asked, watching Amanda's grimace when she drank the bitter juice.

"No, not really. I think I'm going to have to give Dr. Goodman's office another call, on Monday," Amanda admitted, placing the empty glass in the sink. The toaster popped up, the bread now a warm golden brown. "Hand me the butter please." Lee automatically reached into the refrigerator and pulled out the butter tray, handing it to Amanda. She buttered both pieces, sliced the toast in half before offering a piece to Lee.

"It's been almost nineteen hours since I've eaten anything, but this will hit the spot for now," Lee admitted.

Amanda pushed the entire plate in his direction, instructing, "Eat up. I'll make some pancakes, too." She dropped two more slices of bread into the toaster and poured Lee a cup of coffee. "Go take a shower. Breakfast will be ready when you come back down."

Lee took a long sip of coffee and looked at Amanda, and asked, "What have I done to deserve you?" He leaned forward to kiss her lightly before she turned him around and gently guided him toward the stairs. He stalled one last time, but Amanda playfully slapped his behind and commanded, "Now scoot! Go on!" He laughed softly as he climbed the stairs and disappeared into their bedroom. He returned to the kitchen thirty minutes later to find Jamie sitting at the table with Amanda, already munching happily on the stack of pancakes in front of him. "Hey chief, did you save me any?" Lee teased.

"Morning, Lee. Mom saved a whole stack just for you. She figured she had to hide them if Philip came down before you," Jamie teased between bites.

"Do I smell pancakes?" Philip's voice drifted in from the hall. He appeared in the kitchen wearing a t-shirt, sweatpants, and his hair was sticking up in every direction.

Amanda held out a plate as he neared her, she wrinkled up her nose, "Philip, when was the last time you showered?" He took the plate and she covered her nose and mouth, trying hard not to gag at the smell of the teenage boy sauntering past her.

"Mom, I swear, I showered yesterday!" Philip insisted.

"Yeah, but when was the last time you slept in something different?" Jamie asked.

Amanda shook her head, "Philip?"

Philip put the bottle of syrup down beside his plate and admitted, "Ok, so maybe this is the third… no… the fourth night I've slept in this shirt but-"

"Philip King, go right back upstairs and take off that shirt!" Amanda commanded from the other side of the kitchen.

Lee just stood, observing their interaction as he sipped his coffee.

Philip remained seated, cutting his pancakes with the side of his fork as he balked, "Mom, it's not that bad. I promise I'll shower as soon as I'm done eating and I'll even do my own laundry."

"Yeah, because no one else wants your stinko clothes near their's," Jamie countered.

Lee could sense things were beginning to escalate so he quickly commanded, "All right, boys, enough is enough. Philip, please do as your mother asked and go change your shirt. And you, Jamie, stop teasing your brother."

Jamie rolled his eyes, "Why? He does it to me all the time."

Lee sat beside him at the table and said quietly, "I know he does but we need to try a little harder to get along."

Philip pushed his chair back from the table with a loud thump, "I'll be back in a minute. Don't eat my pancakes." He glared at Jamie as he left the room. Amanda moved to the table, put her hand on Lee's shoulder before sitting down. Philip returned a few minutes later wearing a different shirt. "Is this better?" he groaned as he sat back down again.

"Much better, thank you," Amanda replied quietly. She was sipping another glass of cranberry juice and there was a plate with just one single pancake on it in front of her, "Philip, why don't you tell Lee what you did in gym class yesterday."

Philip, his cheeks filled with syrup covered pancakes, nodded several times as he attempted to clear his mouth. He took a big gulp of orange juice before he said, "We had to do some stupid new activity. We just chased each other around the mat with swords or something...I forget what he called it."

"Swords? Like pirates?" Lee asked, confused.

"No, not like pirates. We had to keep one hand on our waist and the other one had the … I forget what he called it. It was some weird word I don't remember," Philip tried to explain.

Amanda just smiled as she encouraged him, "Philip, why don't you show Lee what you learned?"

"Mom, do I have to? I'm still eating," he groaned. "And it was stupid. We couldn't actually hit each other."

Lee took a large bite of pancakes and sighed happily as the sweet syrup teased his tongue. "Actually, Philip, I'm kind of intrigued by what you were learning," Lee stated.

"Fine," Philip groaned. He stood up and pretended to hold something in his hand, the other hand resting on his hip. He then mimicked the action of swinging a sword or weapon at his opponent. "See, there. That's what we had to do."

Lee grinned when he finally figured out what Philip was acting out, "You mean fencing? I use that as part of my standard routines to keep fit. It takes a lot of stamina, grace, and persistence to get good at it."

Philip sat down and cringed, "You mean, you actually like doing that? I just felt kind of stupid."

Lee nodded and explained, "Well, I can understand if you weren't given proper instruction how you might feel like that. What made the teacher decide to do that?"

Philip shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. They are starting some sort of club after school and I think they were trying to get us interested. But Coach Johnson didn't do a good job of explaining it. He just told us we could only use one hand and we couldn't actually touch each other."

"Well, I learned in Germany when my uncle was stationed there. There are different styles, different rules, and even different foil grips," Lee tried to explain.

"What's a foil grip?" Jamie interrupted.

"A foil grip is the handle you hold at the end of the foil…the weapon. I prefer the Visconti grip myself. I think my favorite part of the whole sport is trying to get into my opponent's head. If I can figure out how they're thinking I can gauge their next strike," Lee rambled.

Philip suddenly sat upright, his eyes wide as he asked, "Wait a minute. You can figure out how your opponent is thinking? How do you do that?"

Lee laughed, "Tell you what, instead of explaining it, how about I take you down to the club and you see for yourself how it's really done. We can go this afternoon if you want. Jamie can come, too."

"Thanks for the offer Lee, but I'm not really interested. I mean, I've seen it on TV a few times when they show the Olympics and stuff and I don't think I'd like it. Besides, I need to get a few more pictures today for my portfolio. My photography teacher thinks I've got real promise to be a good photographer," Jamie said.

"That's wonderful, Sweetheart!" Amanda interjected. "What kinds of pictures do you need to take this time?"

Jamie looked at his mother and said, "I have to take close up pictures of bugs. As many bugs as I can find."

"Well, just don't tell your grandmother that's what you're doing. And don't dig up her whole garden. She just planted some bulbs out back and-" Amanda began but she was cut off by Dotty in the doorway.

"Why are we digging up my garden? I just got that all sorted out and I don't want you boys out there trampling anything," Dotty scolded them.

"Good morning, Mother. Don't worry, no one is digging up your garden. Actually, Jamie is going to take some pictures around the yard this afternoon and Lee and Philip are going out," Amanda replied with a smile.

"Can we take the Vette, Lee?" Philip asked.

Lee shook his head, "Of course. It's just you and me."

"Can I drive?" Philip asked.

"Sure, you can drive… in about two more years when the law says you can," Lee replied with a smile. "Now, let's finish these pancakes before they get cold."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Lee flopped himself down on the bed, tucked his hands behind his head as he told Amanda about the fencing class. "I couldn't believe him. As soon as the first group began to spar, his eyes were glued. And when the instructor asked if he wanted to give it a try…you would have thought I handed him the keys to my car, which by the way I don't intend on doing any time soon."

Amanda smiled and laughed lightly. "I'm glad he enjoyed himself," Amanda replied as she brushed her hair out. She yawned loudly, covering her mouth quickly. "Excuse me!"

"He wants to come back to the club with me again. And I think he might try out for that fencing club at school after all. He asked me if he did join, would I practice with him and give him some pointers," Lee continued. The smile he wore hadn't left his face since they had returned a few hours before.

Amanda placed the brush on the vanity, stood and stretched before crossing the room to join him on the bed. She yawned again before snuggling down on her side to listen to Lee talk.

"And I was thinking about Jamie's birthday this year. It's only a week away and I sort of have an idea for a gift for him," Lee stated.

"What's that, Sweetheart?" Amanda asked sleepily.

Lee looked down at her, her eyes almost closed, curled up on her side, facing him. She was completely relaxed already, even though, it was still relatively early for them to go to bed. "We can talk about it tomorrow," he said softly as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

Amanda reached up to hug him, her eyes still closed, "Are you sure? I'm sorry I'm so tired. I thought I was doing better but I spent all afternoon outside with Jamie… maybe it was all that fresh air."

"It's okay. You get some rest. I'm just going to check in on the boys before sacking out myself," Lee whispered, his lips brushing her temple as he spoke. He rolled off the bed and left the room, hitting the light switch on his way out of the room. Amanda's breathing was already soft and even by the time he closed the door. He descended the steps and immediately headed toward Philip's room. He knocked on the closed door before opening it slowly, "You getting ready for bed?" he asked. He was surprised to find Jamie in Philip's room once again, lounging on the end of the bed, Philip curled on his side, leaning on his pillows. "What are you fellas doing?"

Philip looked up at Lee and asked, "Do you think we could get another bed for my room? Just in case anyone wants to spend the night or whatever?"

Lee blinked his eyes, confused. "You mean you want a second bed in here? That's going to take up a lot of space, don't you think?"

Philip pushed up a little higher on his elbow and looked around, "Well, what about one of those beds that slide under yours? I don't know what they're called but I've seen them on TV."

"A roll-a-way bed?" Lee asked, trying to figure out where Philip was going with this idea.

"Not a roll-a-way, more like a hide-a-away. I think they call them trundle beds," Jamie inserted.

Lee folded his arms and narrowed his eyes as he asked, "Now what is this about? Are you just pulling my leg?"

Philip looked at Jamie before he rambled, "No, really. I was thinking, you know, if any of my friend's wanted to spend the night or even if, you know, Jamie wanted to stay in here, then there would be a comfy place to sleep, you know?"

Lee chuckled, the true meaning of Philip's request finally determined, "I'll talk to your mom about that in the morning. Why don't you two call it a night, huh?"

"We will," Jamie assured him. "We were just talking about next week. Thanksgiving is less than a week away and the teachers at school are just piling on the homework."

"Yeah, Jimmy and I just finished our science project and now we have a paper due the Monday after Thanksgiving break. I mean, really, who does that?" Philip groaned.

Lee sighed and sympathized with his stepson, "So what's this paper on?"

Philip reached over and grabbed a book off his desk and tossed it in Lee's direction. "I have to read the first ten chapters and write my impression of it," he complained.

"'The Catcher in the Rye', huh. That's a good book," Lee informed him.

"But it's so long! It's like almost three hundred pages!" Philip groaned again.

Lee chuckled as he put the book back on the desk, "You'll be fine. It's going to be an easier read than you think. And if it's only the first ten chapters, you can work right through that."

Philip dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling, "Yeah, but I have to read it while we are on break AND write a paper on it."

Jamie laughed loudly and said, "Remember what Dad suggested? Two chapters a night, make some notes and the rest will be easy."

Philip shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I guess. But I'm not doing it tonight. You and I still have to finish that game of checkers we started."

"Okay, not too late though. Your mom is already asleep. Tomorrow we need to rake the leaves up for your mom. Thanksgiving is only a few days away and she wants to be sure everything looks good," Lee reminded them.

Philip nodded, "We get it. Mom's going to go into crazy mode since Aunt Lillian is coming. Just wait until she goes shopping!"

"You'll be at the store for HOURS!" Jamie exclaimed as he jumped off the bed and closed the gap between them. "And she'll have TWO shopping carts filled!"

Lee backed out of the room as Jamie got closer, "All right, all right. I get it. But I did promise her the yard will be cleaned tomorrow, especially, because I was in Boston most of this week. Then maybe we can make dinner tomorrow night, what do you say?"

"Make it Mexican and you've got a deal," Dotty teased from down the hall.

Lee smiled at his mother-in-law and suggested, "Enchiladas or fish tacos?"

"Hmmm, both. As long as you make that homemade salsa again. I couldn't get enough of it the last time," Dotty hummed. Switching topics she asked, "Is Amanda already asleep?"

Lee glanced at the boys and reminded them once more, "Not too late." He walked down the hall to Dotty's room so they could talk quietly. "Yeah, she fell asleep pretty fast. She's still not feeling well. She said she's going to make another appointment on Monday with Dr. Goodman. I think I want to be there this time. See if I can get some answers," he stated.

Dotty put her hand on his arm and assured him, "I'm sure she's fine. Maybe it's one of those things…it just needs the right medicine and the one they gave her isn't it. Maybe it's not strong enough."

"Or maybe there's more going on that she's not telling us about," Lee interjected.

Dotty stood as tall as she could and touched Lee's chest, "Lee, you need to have faith. She knows her body, she's very in touch with how she feels. And you've seen her, she's barely ever sick so she knows she needs to pay attention to what her body is telling her now."

Lee covered Dotty's hand with his own and said, "I do trust her. I've just never had a lot of faith in doctors. But, you're right. It's just so-"

"So hard to watch the woman you love in pain?" Dotty suggested.

Lee sighed and admitted, "Yeah, something like that."

Dotty patted his chest and assured him, "Well, stop worrying. She's going to be fine. I know these things. I'm her mother after all. Now, why don't you go on up and join her? You're looking pretty tired yourself. I'll check in on the boys in a few more minutes."

Lee wrapped his arms around Dotty in a soft hug and whispered, "Thank you. I don't know what we'd do without you."

"You're welcome. Now, go get some sleep before I start mothering you, too," she teased.

"Anytime, Dotty, you can mother me anytime," Lee replied with a dimpled smile.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Lee rubbed his hand along his pant leg nervously. "You keep doing that and you'll need Dr. Goodman to look at that blister, too," Amanda teased. Lee grasped one hand with the other, his thumb brushing along the tender, bubbled skin of the blisters he received after raking the yard with the boys. "I told you to wear gloves. The boys wore them, and their hands are perfectly fine today," she continued.

"I'll be fine. Really, Amanda, it's not like I've never gotten a blister before. This is nothing but an inconvenience. You haven't done it yet, but just wait until you fire off the Glock and you get your finger pinched between the trigger and the guard. Now that's a blister you never want. It takes forever to heal, hurts like hell," Lee replied sharply, earning a quickly raised eyebrow from Amanda. He blew out a sharp breath before complaining, "Where is that doctor? We've been waiting for-"

"All of five minutes. He'll be in. I was lucky the nurse was able to squeeze me in so stop fidgeting," Amanda interjected. She was sitting on the exam table, waiting for Dr. Goodman after giving another urine sample.

"Well, I wish he'd hurry up," Lee groaned.

As if on command, they heard a gentle rap on the door before it opened. "Amanda! I didn't expect to see you so soon. And who do we have here?" Dr. Goodman greeted her.

"Hello, Dr. Goodman. This is my husband, Lee Stetson. Lee, Dr. Goodman," Amanda introduced the two men.

Lee offered his hand to Dr. Goodman who shook it willingly. After two pumps, Dr. Goodman released it and commented, "That's a pretty gnarly blister you have there."

Lee self-consciously rubbed the tender skin with his other hand, "Yeah, we were doing some yard work yesterday."

"Let me guess, you didn't wear gloves?" Dr. Goodman asked, drawing a giggle from Amanda. Deciding Amanda and Lee had already had the same conversation, he turned his attention to Amanda, "So, what brings you back again?"

"I'm still not feeling well," Amanda stated.

"Do you care to elaborate?" Dr. Goodman encouraged.

Lee immediately answered for Amanda, "She's waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. She's still having issues with nausea, not eating as much as she should be. She's constantly tired."

Amanda glared at Lee. "Thank you, Sweetheart," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Hmm, any fever?" Dr. Goodman immediately touched her forehead and cheeks with the back of his fingers.

"No, no fevers. And no headaches. No pain. Just the constant urge to go," Amanda explained.

Dr. Goodman folded his arms and sat back against the small desk. "Did you give Mary another sample?"

Amanda nodded, "Right when we got here." She gripped the sides of the exam table, while she gently swung her legs nervously.

"And you've been taking the prescription I gave you? The iron pills, the vitamins?" he implored.

"Every day," Amanda informed him.

Lee confirmed as he said, "She's even been taking everything with cranberry juice even though she hates it."

"Good, good. Cranberry is very good for you and with the anemia issues, I would suggest adding some orange juice to this mix. If you don't like the full taste of cranberry, mix them together. It's an old wives remedy, but it does work. The vitamin C in the orange juice helps your body absorb the extra iron better. On that aspect, you should start feeling the effects relatively quickly," Dr. Goodman stated. "How's your stomach handling the extra iron pills?" Amanda raised her hand and rocked it side to side to indicate she was just all right. "I was afraid of that, but I don't want to overload your system either. Try adding some extra water and see if that helps. In the meantime, I'm going to have Mary draw some more blood so we can retest your levels again and see if this infection has spread, possibly to your kidneys. If that's the case, we'll need to change your prescription."

"That's it? That's all you're going to do?" Lee blurted out.

Dr. Goodman looked at him and blinked several times before he asked, "Do you have any other ideas?"

"No, no, I just mean… Amanda's uncomfortable, she's still having issues with nausea. Could this be part of the concussion still?" Lee stammered.

"Mr. Stetson, I fully understand your concerns for your wife. No, I don't believe her symptoms have anything to do with the concussion. UTI's can have an array of side effects and linger much longer than you'd expect. Sometimes it takes a few rounds of antibiotics to clear up the infection," Dr. Goodman explained. "Be assured though, I'll do everything I can to help her."

Lee sighed, "I'm just worried about her. She just hasn't been herself and it scares me a little." Amanda couldn't hide the surprised expression on her face.

Dr. Goodman nodded sympathetically. "She's your wife and she's been through quite a bit this year. I'd be concerned if you weren't worried about her. Between the shooting and this concussion, I can understand her body's delayed reaction to healing. She just needs time and the right medicine."

"Thank you, Dr. Goodman," Amanda whispered.

"I'll send Mary in for another blood sample and we'll call you in a day or two with the full results. I'm going to have the lab test for a few other things, just to rule out any other anomalies," Dr. Goodman patted Amanda on the shoulder reassuringly. He turned to Lee, offered his hand and said, "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Stetson. And don't worry, she'll be fine soon enough. Oh, try rubbing some Vaseline on that blister, keep it soft."

Lee drew his hand back and nodded with a tentative smile, "I'll do that. Thank you, Dr. Goodman."

The doctor turned back to Amanda and said, "Take it easy. Remember, it takes time. Don't try to overdo it during the holiday either. Let your mother help you, even Aunt Lillian, the boys, and your husband."

"I will, Dr. Goodman," Amanda replied.

Dr. Goodman slipped out of the room, leaving Amanda and Lee alone for a few minutes before the nurse, Mary, returned carrying a needle and several empty blood vials. Lee blanched at the number of vials. He stood and informed Amanda, "I'll wait outside for you."

A few minutes later, Amanda joined Lee in the waiting room and asked, "Ready to go?"

"I'm going to take you home before I head into work," Lee announced.

"Why? Lee, I'm fine," Amanda insisted.

Without replying, Lee put his hand on her lower back to guide her outside to the car. Once they were seated, he turned to her and said, "Amanda, please, don't argue with me on this one. You heard what Dr. Goodman said. He said you need to take it easy. Coming to the office is not taking it easy. Hell, you know that as well as I do."

Amanda pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated. "Fine. I can get Mother to go shopping with me, help me clean the house…"

"No, Amanda, just stop. Just stop and take a break. The house is fine, I'll help with the shopping," Lee insisted. He took her hands in his, his worried hazel eyes staring in her dark brown ones. "Please."

Amanda looked down at their entwined hands and sighed, "Okay. Take me home. I'll just tell Mother I'm working from home today. I'll…."

"Tell you what, let's make that official. I have a few reports that need to be finished up, so, why don't I stop by the office, grab those and you can sit in the office at home and work on them there. That way, there's no distraction, you'll be comfortable at home and if you need to take a break and rest, you can. Billy will be happy the reports are finalized," Lee suggested.

Amanda smiled, "You've convinced me. But don't ask me to stay in the car while you get the reports. You don't need Mrs. Marston asking questions."

Lee kissed her fingers before releasing her hands. "It's a deal. And I'm glad we finally had that extra phone line installed. If you need to call me for any reason, you don't need to worry about your mother hearing you."

"So, what reports do you need help with?" Amanda asked as they drove toward the Agency.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Lee pursed his lips angrily as he was stopped abruptly once again. He was attempting to follow Amanda and Dotty through the grocery store, which was currently packed with shoppers. The cart he was pushing was only half-filled, mostly with produce at this point. "Amanda!" he called, trying to get her attention but she couldn't hear him over the din of the other shoppers. The muscle in his cheek twitched wildly as he tried to weave his way around two older women currently examining the contents on one shelf, effectively blocking the entire aisle. He analyzed his options and decided to try to backtrack and meet Amanda and Dotty in the next aisle. The narrow aisle made it difficult for him to turn around, so his only choice was to back up.

"You're going the wrong way," one woman hissed at him.

Lee groaned, "Well, I can't get through this way and I'm trying to find my wife." He barely caught a glimpse of Amanda as she turned right into the next aisle.

"Well, maybe you should have stayed closer to her," the woman reprimanded him.

Lee rolled his eyes, "And maybe you should mind your own business. I've been to calmer shopping markets in Nepal for crying out loud." He ignored the angry stares as he continued to back up. When he finally got clear of the aisle, he moved toward the next one, his eyes scanning the faces crammed together, looking for either Dotty or Amanda. He tapped his foot anxiously until he finally spotted Amanda, leaning forward to select a jar off a shelf. He sighed loudly, leaned forward onto the cart handle and waited until they joined him again.

"I thought you got lost," Dotty teased.

"Is all of this really necessary? I mean, this store is completely packed, it's worse than shopping during the Christmas season," Lee groaned.

Amanda blinked several times before she asked, "What do you mean?"

Lee waved his hand around, "This. I mean, why didn't you go shopping on Sunday? I can't imagine the stores would have been half as crowded as it is today."

Amanda put her hand over his and explained, "Sweetheart, if I bought the produce on Sunday, it wouldn't be as fresh as it is today. Tuesday morning is when the store gets its produce delivery."

Lee nodded in understanding, "I get it, I get it. Are we almost done? I mean, how much more do you still need to get?"

Amanda looked at the list in her hand and said, "Well, I still need to get the rest of the ingredients for the stuffing, the pumpkin pie, the green bean casserole, and the broccoli cheese casserole. Mother, have you found the Bells Seasoning? I think we might have missed it in the aisle."

"Wait, back up. Two casseroles?" Lee asked incredulously. "Why do we need two different casseroles?"

Dotty stared at him and said, "Lee, you're not serious, are you?" Lee raised his shoulders and shook his head. His reaction reminded her of his unconventional upbringing, so she asked, "Have you ever really had a true Thanksgiving dinner?"

"Sure, I've had turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy," Lee nodded.

"And where was this? In the mess hall?" Dotty asked dryly. Lee rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably without answering. "Just as I thought. Well, this year will be different. You will be indulging in turkey with all the fixings and I mean all of them! By mid-afternoon, you will be in a full food coma from too much tryptophan coursing through your veins, propped up watching whatever foolish football game is on the television. And then, once the game is over, you'll feast on pumpkin pie, apple pie and vanilla ice cream smothered with warm caramel sauce," Dotty assured him. She linked her hand into the bars of the cart and pulled it along as she said, "Come on, Lee. Amanda's got a list to finish up."

"Sweetheart, if you don't want to finish this…" Amanda began softly but Lee shook his head adamantly.

"No, I am part of this family now and this is our first official Thanksgiving together. I want to be here. I want to help in any way I can," Lee insisted.

Amanda smiled, rubbed his hand with hers and said, "Well then, let's get the last few things we need in here and head over to the Butcher Shop. He's holding the turkey I ordered last week."

Lee sighed and conceded, "Lead the way." He followed Amanda and Dotty slowly through the store for the next hour before waiting in line for almost thirty minutes to pay for their groceries. They left the store with the cart overflowing with brown bags. "Now where to?"

"Now, to Mr. McCourty's Butcher shop, then we can head home. Aunt Lillian's train gets in about four this afternoon. We'll need to pick her up, too," Amanda explained as they loaded the back of the Wagoneer.

Lee checked his watch and asked, "What about the boys?"

"Don't worry about them, Lee. Joe and Carrie are going to pick them up this afternoon. The boys have tomorrow off from school, and Carrie's boss gave them four tickets to the Capitals/Bruins game on Wednesday night," Amanda explained.

"But they're still coming on Thursday, right?" Lee asked confused.

Amanda nodded, "Yes, the boys and Joe and Carrie will be there on Thursday as will Aunt Lillian, Aunt Edna, your uncle, and Francine. I invited Billy and Jeannie and the girls to come later for dessert."

"You did? When did you do that?" Lee asked as they climbed into the car.

"I'm so glad Francine is coming!" Dotty declared. "She's such a nice girl. You know, when I first met her, I didn't really like her. She seemed so…pushy. But now that I've gotten to know her more, she's very sweet."

Lee couldn't hold back his laughter, "Francine? Sweet? Oh boy, Dotty, I don't think you should let her hear you say that. You might ruin her image."

"Why?" Dotty demanded. "She's been very polite and helpful the few times she's been to the new house and she was such a dear during the wedding."

"It's okay, Mother. Lee and Francine have been friends for a long time, so I think he forgets she has another side than the teasing one he sees all the time," Amanda tried. "She wasn't very nice to me when I first met her either, but very clearly we've gotten past that. She's one of my closest friends and I wouldn't change who she is for the world."

The trio managed to get to the butcher shop in record time as traffic was still light. Dotty opted to wait in the car while Lee and Amanda collected the turkey. She chuckled as she watched Lee attempt to carry the heavy bird and open the door to the store for Amanda all at the same time, almost dropping it. _Always the gentleman, _she thought with a smile. _Amanda did well with this one._

"What are you smiling about, Mother?" Amanda asked as they finally sat back in the car.

Dotty patted her shoulder and simply replied, "Things are good, Amanda dear, things are good."

Amanda narrowed her eyes, trying to determine Dotty's cryptic comment. "All right, if you say so, Mother."

"I do! Now, let's get these groceries home before it gets too late!" Dotty exclaimed. "Come on, Lee, step on it! Show me what you've got!" she teased. Lee chuckled as he sped up just a bit and began to weave between cars. Amanda laughed when Dotty began to giggle like one of the boys. "See, I knew you had it in you!" Dotty exclaimed gleefully.

"One of these days, Dotty, I'll take you out on the track in the Vette. If you really want to feel some speed..." Lee trailed off with a grin.

Amanda put her hand on Lee's thigh and winked, "I think Captain Curt has beat you to that. Those planes go pretty fast, don't they, Mother?"

Dotty touched her face to hide a mischievous grin, "Well, it may not be just the planes…"

"MOTHER!" Amanda gasped.

"Don't 'Mother' me, Amanda! You're not the only woman with needs in the house," Dotty countered. "Besides, you don't really think he and I just play cards and dance the samba, do you?"

"No, but-" Amanda began but Dotty cut her right off.

"But nothing! He makes me happy, enough said," Dotty stated firmly.

Lee looked over his shoulder and nodded, "And that's all that matters, Dotty. That's all that truly matters."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Lee and Amanda were sitting in the Q Bureau each focusing on their own projects. Lee flipped one page over, then back to the first one, shook his head before jotting down notes with a pencil on the margin of the second page. "Well, Edwards hasn't learned yet how to write up the requests for surveillance like I asked him to do," Lee declared.

"Huh?" Amanda grunted as she stared at her checkbook and the statement beside her.

"Edwards. I asked him to write up a request… Amanda? Are you even listening to me?" Lee questioned. He was staring at her, waiting for an answer as she studied the papers before her. "Hey, what has your attention all wrapped up over there?" Lee pushed back his chair and stood up, picking up his coffee mug at the same time. He took several steps then stopped and sat on the corner of her desk to see what she was looking at. "Something wrong?"

"Yes…well, no but yes," Amanda replied before dropping everything on the desk.

"Well, which is it, yes or no?" Lee asked, confused. "Is there a problem with our account?"

"No, no the account is fine, at least I think it's fine. I don't see anything wrong with it," Amanda explained.

"Then what's the problem?" Lee asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

Amanda sighed and leaned back in her chair, "I just think we need to sit down and go over our budget again. I'm trying to make heads or tails out of some of your monthly expenses, but I don't really know what I'm looking at."

"Ok, I'm all ears," Lee declared. "Where do you want to start?"

Amanda raised her eyebrows, "Are you sure? I mean if you're busy, we can do this another time. I was just thinking with Jamie's birthday this weekend and Christmas coming up, I didn't want to overspend."

Lee reached down and held her hand in his, "Amanda, you are the last person I'd ever suspect of overspending on anything! Now, what doesn't make sense."

"Okay, your gym membership. How much do you really use it?" she began.

Lee took another sip of his coffee and said, "Not as much as I used to but now that Jamie is interested in the self-defense class, I'd like to keep it. Master Chao offers several other classes as well and I think he'd like those too."

"Gym membership, check!" Amanda marked the small notepad beside her. "Now, the DC Club, what is it?"

"The DC Club is my fencing club. I have to keep that," Lee insisted. When Amanda looked up, waiting for more of an explanation he said, "Philip and I really had a good time. I'd like to keep going back with him."

"DC Club got it," she added to her list. "Next is the Polish Club."

Lee sipped his coffee once more and said, "I wanted to talk to you about that one. Amanda, I was thinking…"

"Yeah?" Amanda interrupted him.

"I was thinking about Jamie and his birthday. He's getting to that age where he's more conscious of how he looks and how other people see him…" Lee began.

Amanda immediately straightened up defensively, "What's wrong with the way he looks?"

Lee put his mug down and took her hand in his, "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the way he looks, but I couldn't help notice he's very aware of his glasses all the time and more importantly he's constantly afraid of breaking them."

"Okay, so what do his glasses have to do with the Polish Club?" she asked.

Lee took a breath and blurted out, "What if I gave up my dance lessons at the Polish Club so Jamie could get contact lenses. I know they can get a little costly each month, but I looked into it and what I pay for the Polish Club will more than cover his contacts."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to give up-" Amanda tried but Lee quickly cut her off.

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. After all, I barely go anymore. I have a certain dance partner I don't spend enough time with as it is," he teased.

Amanda couldn't help lower her eyes and nibble on her bottom lip. She sighed a little before she said, "Lee, I know you want to do this for him, but really, Joe and I should be paying for this, not you. You're doing so much for him as it is."

"Then let me do this as a gift to him… for his birthday. It will be my gift, you know. I haven't been able to do anything before now, and well, I really want to do this, Amanda, please?" Lee pleaded softly.

Amanda could see the love in his eyes and knew she couldn't deny him this one request, "All right. But that's it, no more. You don't need to buy him anything else. I've already picked up a few new shirts for him and that sweatshirt he wanted."

Lee exhaled with a smile, "Good! Can you make an appointment for me then? I'd like to bring him myself."

"Yes, Sweetheart, I'll make the appointment for you. Now, what about these other few memberships you have?" Amanda asked. They finished the list, deciding which memberships to cancel and which ones he would keep. They also decided the money from the canceled memberships would go toward paying off his credit card debt so that would be a few less bills each month. Satisfied with their solutions, Amanda put all the paperwork back in her purse and stood up. "I'm going to run downstairs to check in with Billy, do you need anything?"

Lee placed his hands on her shoulders, kissed the tip of her nose and said, "Yes, but we can't take care of what I really need here. Your mother and Aunt Lillian went to get Aunt Edna this afternoon, so, instead of making pies how about you and I go make something else."

Amanda blushed profusely at his offer, dropping her head onto his chest. "Let me see if we can sneak away earlier, but you'll have to promise me you'll help make the stuffing tonight," she whispered huskily.

"Anything you need," Lee assured her.

"And you're going to help with all the vegetables?" Amanda leaned back to confirm.

Lee grimaced, "Anything but potatoes. You know how I feel about peeling potatoes."

She pushed up onto her toes, kissed his cheek and promised, "No potatoes. Now let me check in with Billy, use the powder room and then we can sneak home." She stepped away from him but held onto his hand as she backed up until she had to let go. Amanda stepped into the hall, closing the door behind her.

Lee scrambled back to his desk and began looking over the file once more. He picked up the phone and called down to Edwards to make the corrections needed for the proper surveillance request. Satisfied with the conversation, he wished Edwards a Happy Thanksgiving before hanging up the phone. Without consciously thinking about it, he began whistling as he cleared the remaining files into one pile and dropped the stack into the bottom drawer of his desk. He was just ready to stand when the phone beside him rang, startling him.

"International Federal Film," he automatically answered.

"Amanda Stetson, please," the voice on the other end requested.

"Mrs. Stetson isn't at her desk at the moment, this is Mr. Stetson can I help you with something?" Lee replied. The voice was vaguely familiar, and he was scouring his memory banks to place it.

"Oh! Mr. Stetson! This is Mary, from Dr. Goodman's office," Mary explained.

Lee nodded in recognition, "Mary, my wife just stepped out for a few minutes. Is there something I can do?"

"Well, we have Amanda's test results back and I have to be honest, when Dr. Goodman told me to run the test, I never expected-" Mary began but nervously, Lee cut her off.

"What test? What do you mean? Is Amanda sick… sicker than we thought?" Lee panicked. His mind was racing to the point where he barely heard Mary's explanation. He hung up the phone several seconds later, but not before asking one last time, "You're sure?"

His reverie was broken when the door rattled, signaling Amanda's return. "So, Sweetheart, are you ready to go?" she asked as she stepped into the office. She stopped short when she looked at Lee's face. "Lee, what's wrong? You're as white as a ghost."

Lee looked up at her and blinked several times before he said, "Mary from Dr. Goodman's office just called with your test results."

Amanda closed the gap between them to stand beside him. "And what did she say?" Amanda asked nervously.

"She said…" Lee said slowly.

"Lee, if it's bad news we'll get through it, whatever it is. Now, what did Mary say? What are the test results?" Amanda tried to stay calm but the look on his face was scaring her.

Lee took her hands in his and said slowly, "Amanda, Mary said your test came back positive."

Amanda narrowed her eyes and looked at him, confused. "Positive? What test came back positive? Positive for what?" she fired off the questions quickly, her nerves getting the better of her.

Lee kissed her forehead before he whispered barely audibly, "Amanda…"

From across the room, they were startled by a sharp rapping on the glass window of the door.

_To be continued in "Gifts of Green"_


End file.
